


Home is Where the Heart is

by sinnamon_nerd



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: A bunch of dorks, Akira Moves Back And Goes To School, Akira's so done with the people where she's from, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, As of chapter 14 there's some violence, Eventual Romance, Fem! Akira, Female Persona 5 Protagonist, Fluff during the first few parts, Gen, I don't know how things will go from there, Implied Yutaba in chapter 22, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kitagawa Siblings AU, Post-Persona 5, as of chapter 12 kou naoto and p3 protag are only mentioned, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2020-11-28 08:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 25,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20963594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinnamon_nerd/pseuds/sinnamon_nerd
Summary: Hence, my home is with you as you have my whole heart.Alternatively: Akira goes back to her hometown. Shenanigans ensue. Someone unexpected is also there.





	1. Sojiro's Girls

“Do you have to go?” Futaba whined, convinced that if she remained attached to Akira’s arm, the older female wouldn’t be able to leave. She had resigned herself to her fate of being a remora-like creature. It didn’t bother her at all that she would be forsaking all of her hobbies – really, it wasn’t a big deal at all – as long as Akira would stay in Yongen.

Heck maybe they could come up with some sort of compromise. After all, she needed-

Akira chuckled as she looked at the little, orange-haired gremlin clinging to her arm as if her life depended on it. “Futaba,” she started, gently prying the younger girl off her and clasping her hands in her own. “I want to stay. I want to stay so much. This past year was a roller coaster ride that I’d gladly go on over and over again – all of it – if it meant being with you guys for the rest of my life-”

“Then stay!”

“-but my parents. I have to go back to them.”

Futaba pouted, almost stomping her foot as she rolled her eyes. “Sojiro’s a way better parent than they are. They didn’t even call you until a couple months ago! Your own parents!”

Akira smiled sadly at this. It was true. An entire year away from them and barely even a phone call, or even a text message. If it weren’t for the little picture she kept in her wallet, she’d probably forget she even had parents. Apparently the disappointment they felt after she’d been wrongly accused was great enough to estrange her to them. Never mind the fact that up until that point she’d never done anything wrong in her life.

She sunk to the floor of the attic, staring at her hands with her knees propped up. “Gonna have to figure out what’s up with that.” Akira raked a hand through her unkempt hair. “But, hey, if I can figure out other people’s problems, I should be able to handle my own, right?”

Futaba huffed as she sank down as well. “’S still not fair.”

“Think of it this way,” Akira reached out to pat her head – a reassuring gesture to Futaba, “whenever there’s a long weekend or holiday, you can all come over and we’ll have a sleepover. Or, Morgana and I will come over and we can all stay at Haru’s. Maybe.”

The little gremlin seemed to shrink as her shoulders slouched further and her pouting lips protruded more. “It won’t be the same without you here, though…”

At that, Akira gave a light-hearted chuckle. It was stranger to her to think that she, a country girl honor student, would end up being such a treasure to these people that they’d think that a city as big and bustling as Tokyo would be massively different without her.

“You can always call,” she suggested. “Except during school hours because it’s important to pay attention in class. But, any other time, I’ll do my best to pick up.”

Futaba’s expression changed then, from pouty and whiny to downright sad.

“Hey,” she called out after a moment of silence, “Akira?”

She received a hum as a response.

“I-“ she stifled a sniffle. “I’m gonna miss you. A lot.”

Akira pulled her close, giving her a squeeze. “’M gonna miss you too.”

They sat together in silence for a while before the brunette got up, tugging the ginger gremlin away from her spot as she stood. “C’mon, you. Coffee dad’s gonna be worried if you stay out for much longer.”

Futaba made no protest. She felt that if she did the floodgates would open, so she stayed silent. That was until they were outside Leblanc and Akira had just locked the door, walking ahead of the shorter female.

“A-Akira?” she squeaked.

The brunette tilted her head slightly to the side to look at her, signalling that she was listening.

“C-can I hold your hand? I just, uh…”

Akira stopped walking and turned to face her, smiling as she reached out her hand. “Of course you can, silly…”

As Futaba gingerly wrapped Akira’s outstretched hand in both of her own the latter couldn’t help but think of how much of a little sister the actually little gremlin was to her. They had developed a strange set-up during her year in Tokyo. Sojiro, the former government employee somehow got saddled with a Depressed Gamer Girl™ that was the daughter of a woman whom he adored, and a Nasty Crime Gal™ who saved Christmas with the power of Satan – not that he remembers. Or cares. They were his girls and he would protect them with his life.

Akira smiled to herself, remembering the time she joked to Sojiro that he ought to just adopt her. It had caught him off guard as they were merely in each other’s presence at the time, the only sound between them had been the TV airing the morning news that Akira had been watching while he was making breakfast.  
She swore he nearly dropped the plates he was holding.

Akira had chuckled at his initial reaction, but when he seemed to seriously consider it, she’d lost what she had been intending to say, instead telling him not to think about it too much. Wouldn’t want him to pass out due to stress.

Futaba and Akira had reached the Sakura residence by the time the brunette stopped thinking, both of them lingering at the gate.

“G’night, Tabby-“

“That is still the worst nickname…” Futaba pouted.

Akira chuckled and patted her on the head. “I don’t know if I’ll be at Leblanc tomorrow, I kind of want to go run some last errands. Maybe.”

“That’s fine,” Futaba nodded. “I’ll just drown my sorrow in video games.”

The brunette snickered. “Sounds fun.” Another pat. “You really should get in now or Sojiro might end up changing his mind about maybe adopting me,” she joked, taking on a slightly threatening tone.

That was all it took to make Futaba run inside, yelling a mush of “G’NIGHTAKIRATHANKSFORWALKINGMEHOME” as she went

Akira laughed fondly at the sight before turning around to walk back to Leblanc in solitude.

The last couple of weeks were going to be rough.


	2. A Pair of Dorks

Akira could barely sleep a wink. Her thoughts simply wouldn’t let her. They were too busy worrying about what she would be coming back to. She sighed as she turned to her side, facing a curled up Morgana. Seeing him sleep so soundly made her a tad jealous.

She reached out to stroke his fur but decided against it in fear of waking him. Instead, she got up and went downstairs to the café, intending to make tea. Akira took her phone with her, placing it on top of the counter as she got behind it.

The tea didn’t take make preparation – just the basic procedures – and sat on one of the booth seats in just a few minutes, taking up all of the space by having her legs sprawl out on top and her back leaning against the wall.

She hadn’t even taken a sip of her drink when she heard shuffling outside.

Akira straightened herself, focusing until her eyes glowed yellow and her surroundings dimmed to her, highlighting instead notable things around her. One of them being the silhouette of whoever was outside.

The silhouette itself was familiar and, upon realization, she let her guard down and went to open the door.

Outside stood Ryuji who had his fist up to door level and a shocked expression on his face.

“Whoa, Akira! How’d ya know it was me?”

She grinned at him. “Lucky guess.”

He blinked at her, bringing his hand down. “Yeah, okay, I totally buy that. Can I come in?”

“Sure,” she stepped aside to let him in. “So are you going to tell what you’re doing here at two in the morning?”

Ryuji turned very faintly red, Akira thought it might’ve been the color returning to his face after his time in the cold. “Mom and me made some spaghetti as a midnight snack and she remembered you really liked her cooking so I volunteered to take some to you,” he held out a plastic container.

“At two in the morning?” Akira raised an eyebrow.

“It would’ve gotten cold!”

She snickered, taking the food. “Kidding, bud. Let me serve this up.”

Ryuji sat himself across what he assumed to be the booth Akira occupied, judging by the location of the cup of tea.

“You’re drinking tea? Does Boss know about this betrayal?” He asked in a mock hurt tone.

Akira set down two plates. “What he doesn’t know won’t kick me out,” she replied with a shrug.

“That feeling when your guardian kicks you out not because of you being Phantom Thief, but because you drank tea in his coffee shop.”

She sucked in breath. “Yikes.”

They both laughed at that.

“I’ve been thinking,” Ryuji said after swallowing his first mouthful.

Akira drank from her cup. “That’s a first.”

“I didn’t know I was talking to Mona,” he deadpanned.

She giggled behind her hand and he couldn’t help but wonder why on earth he wasn’t head over heels in love for this girl. She was the best friend he’d ever had, that was for certain. Akira was also simply amazing in every way. Her talents, her personality, herself. Hell, he would die for her- though he doubted that he ever would have to as she was fully capable. He just could never think of her that way. It felt wrong.

“You were saying?” She egged him on.

“Oh, yeah!” He drank form his soda. “How come you’ve been here an entire year, but you don’t have a guy?”

That was the other thing that plagued him. How had she just not snagged whoever the heck she wanted?

She shrugged. “I guess there was never an opportunity?”

“Mishima,” he offered.

She made a face. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy to bits, like I do everyone, but he’s just, uh…”

“Extreme?”

She nodded

He could definitely see why. The guy practically obsessed over her and almost certainly had a fantasy version of her in his head. He was more a fanboy than anything else.

“Okay, what about Yusuke?”

“My son.”

Ryuji gave her a look. “Dude.”

“All I want in life is for him to eat well and get enough sleep. I would adopt him if I could, Ryuji.”

He resolved not to judge.

“How about crushes then?”

“Ryuji, are we really going to talk about boys?”

The faux blond shrugged. “We both know my love life's a tragedy.”

“That’s because you always act so desperate. Chill out. It’ll happen for you eventually.”

Ryuji slumped in his seat. “Yeah…”

“Hey, Ryuji,” Akira called, getting a groan as a response as he was face deep in food. “If you wanted to spend some more time with me, you didn’t have to lie about your mom cooking.”

He all but choked on his food. “W-what are you talking about?” he sputtered.

“Sauce is kind of burnt and the noodles are soggy. Your mom wouldn’t make that kind of mistake,” she said matter-of-factly as she observed a forkful of pasta.

He’d been caught. 

Ryuji pulled his hood over his head. “Sh-shut up, man!” There was silence for a moment. “Nothing gets past you, does it?”

Another groan from him.

“Whatever, I just-“ his expression grew sad. “I’m gonna miss you a whole heck of a lot, ya know?”

Akira smiled fondly. “I bet you’d even turn up at my house in the middle of the night like this if you could.”

“Girl, I just might. ‘S just not the same without you here.”

She swallowed a forkful. “Futaba said the same thing. I don’t get it.”

He looked at her like she had two head. “It’s because you’re an effin’ treasure, girl.”

Akira chuckled. “Sure. Wanna play video games until you have to get to class?”

Ryuji grinned at her. “Oh, you are so on!”

And that was how Sojiro found them when he came to open up shop – Ryuji snoring on the couch of the attic, mouth wide open; and Akira sprawled out on a futon, on the floor, black hair an absolute mess, both of them with controllers still in their hands.

The older man shook his head in fondness as he moved to wake the faux blond, hoping the kid had brought his uniform with him.

He didn’t want the kid to be late for school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to do this 1 Phantom Thief at a time, but later on I might make it 2 at a time just to get things rolling a bit quicker. What do you guys think? Should I stick with 1 per chapter or should I switch it up?


	3. An Art Form

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little late. I was all over the place these past few days.

Akira spent her day quitting her part-time jobs. Well, that was except for the one at Crossroads – she would do so in the evening. She also lingered at the flower shop, opting to help out Hana one last time.

Working at the flower shop was something she enjoyed, the working being relaxing and the company being wholesome. Hana was a sweet girl whose love for flowers was absolutely infectious. Akira learned much during her time working with her, finding flower language to be truly interesting.

Though Hana wasn’t one of her confidants, it was safe to say that Akira would miss her.

She was getting off her final shift when she was approached by a reminiscent Yusuke.

“This was where I first saw you, you know?”

Akira turned to him, tilting her head in confusion before realization dawned on her. “I think I remember that. It was unnerving, being watched by a stranger.”

Yusuke cast his eyes downward. “Yes. I know now the errors of my ways, but at the time all I could think of was how similar the way you looked at the flowers was to Sayuri’s expression,” He looked at her. “I wanted nothing more than to capture that in my art.”

“Did you manage to?” Akira asked as they began walking.

Her blue-haired friend looked rather pleased with himself. “Why, yes! I daresay it is one of my best works to date.” Upon declaring so, he took out one of many sketchbooks and flipped to a page. On it was a painting of Akira as she tended to the flowers. He’d caught her in a side profile, facing west. Her glasses fell low on her nose, showing more of the gentle expression of her eyes, her lose braid fell over her right shoulder, her hands reaching out to tend to a white carnation.

Akira’s jaw slackened at the sight of Yusuke’s drawing of her. She could feel her face heat up in embarrassment. “Yusuke, you didn’t have to make me so pretty!”

He chuckled. “I shall take that as a compliment.”

She held the sketch book in her hands as they were walking down to the subway station. “I wanna keep it. Can I keep it?”

Unfortunately,” he started as he retrieved his notebook, “this is something I am unwilling to part with.”

She stepped in front of him, determined. “I’ll give you my last pay check at the flower shop for it.”

“What?! I- No!”

“I got a bonus for that shift, too…”

“Really?! Hm, I- Wait, no! I mustn’t!”

Akira chuckled, falling back into step. “Have you eaten an actual meal today, Yusuke?”

He cleared his throat, averting his gaze. Yusuke knew he would get reprimanded by her. His friends were constantly appalled at how awful he was at self-care. And, honestly, part of him felt bad taking advantage of their generosity. Of course, he also appreciated their concern.

At the end of his internal strife, he sighed in defeat. “Truth be told, I’ve not had anything since lunchtime yesterday-“

She sucked in a deep disappointed breath and grabbed him by the wrist. “Alright, off to the diner we go.”

“Akira, wait, I-“

Yusuke observed Akira as she sipped her tea. When he asked her why she didn’t go for coffee, she claimed to be unable to drink anything that wasn’t made by either her or Sojiro.

His hand twitched as he watched her – sat across him with her eyes closed, eyelashes dusting her cheeks, as she sampled her drink, left arm resting horizontally on the table.

He wanted to sketch her again.

She set down her cup. “You look as though inspiration has struck you.”

Yusuke smiled, chuckling at something only he understood. “You’ve got me. I’m itching to draw.”

“I hope you produce something you can be proud of,” she flashed a glorious smile at him.

It wasn’t his first time contemplating her charm, but the matter simply wasn’t easy to ignore. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and how to go about getting it. Not only that, but she was so genuine in her desire to help – so stubborn, so caring about it – one couldn’t help but seek her out. Then there was the wildly graceful thief leader hiding under her glasses – calculating, manipulative, cocky, and a sight to behold – countering her outer world persona who was simply a massive dork.

He smiled at her after ruminating for a while. “I’m sure it will be.”

Akira chuckled fondly. “Good.”

Yusuke drank from his own cup of tea, noting the fruity flavour. “You know, it is odd.” He saw he perk up, listening. “Before all of you, the beauty I sought was merely physical, but,” he gestured to her, “you, Ann, Makoto, Haru, and even Futaba all have your own type of beauty.”

She looked thoughtful, taking a bite off the cake she ordered before and pointing the fork at him afterwards. “Ryuji is beautiful, too.”

He was taken aback before he chuckled. “Yes, I suppose there _is_ beauty to his loudness.”

Akira nodded, laughing fondly.

It was a beautiful sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet if I do say so myself. Unlike Futaba and Ryuji, I think their bond is a lot more quiet. Like the type where you're just comfortable with each other's silence.
> 
> Also, don't be mistaken, Yusuke's not romantically interested in her. It's just his usual self going on about beauty. What a dork.
> 
> Let me know what y'all think!


	4. Past Strife

Akira had her hair down and her glasses off. She was dressed in a black, spaghetti strap dress that reached to her mid-thigh, white cropped cardigan, and a pair of two-inch stiletto-heeled brown leather ankle boots. She was on her way to Crossroads bar for her final shift.

It was on the train to Shinjuku that she ran into Makoto.

“A-Akira?!” she exclaimed in surprise at her friend’s appearance. “Where are you headed so late?”

The girl in question smiled. “Finishing off the last of my part-time jobs tonight.”

Makoto was wide-eyed upon realization. “O-oh, you mean the one at the bar you’ve taken me to before?” Akira nodded. “Please do be careful, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Shinjuku is not a good place to be in at this hour.”

Akira winked at her. “No worries, I can take care of myself,” she tugged her bag forward as though to indicate she was carrying something.

“Please don’t tell me you’ve brought a weapon…”

The thief leader chuckled. “Nah, it’s just full of heavy things so I can smack whoever comes on to me with it.”

Makoto sighed in relief. “And what of Mona?”

“He’s been over at Haru’s for a while, was pretty insistent about it too.” Akira mused on the last bit before tapping her on the shoulder. “Your stop?” she pointed at the screen in the train cabin.

“Oh, you’re right.” Makoto moved to get off, giving Akira a final wave. “Well, see you!”

Makoto was lying on her bed, lifting up her Buchimaru plush as she contemplated Akira’s relations.

To say they were _strange_ would be an understatement.

She’d always thought so since she first started investigating her now friend.

Makoto wasn’t proud of her snooping, even Akira herself had told her that it was indiscreet and tactless – especially how she would follow the brunette around, nose buried deep into an upside down manga of all things.

She groaned in embarrassment at the memory of the stone-faced thief leader approaching her, no hint of amusement on her face at all, and flipped her book right side up before walking away without a word.

Then there was that spat they had in the alley by Untouchable.

Oh dear, that spat.

Akira was getting off her shift on schedule and she had spotted her hiding behind some trashcans. The expression that formed on her normally gentle face was nothing short of ugly, pure hatred and disgust contorting it. At some point, she had shed angry tears too.

_“You’re a good-for-nothing council president! Do you know what your tailing is doing?! It’s isolating me even more! I can’t even spend time with my friends because of you! Because you insist on sticking your nose in my business, the other students are looking down on me even more! I’m so fucking alone because of you, you bitch!”_

It was the single most brutal, most vulgar statement she’d heard from her. At times, those words still hurt her even though Akira had apologized profusely for her harshness after the events of Kaneshiro’s palace.

Makoto hugged her toy to her chest, rolling to her side.

Now that she thought about it, that man from Untouchable was also one of her friend’s confidants. She remembered her messaging their group chat about a Yakuza face-off that she’d been involved with him in. She’d been so casual about it, Makoto all but screamed.

She sighed. Their leader was a mess of many faces, yet her truest face must have been that ugly, hurting one she’d shown her before.

But, when it came to hurting, nothing would compare to Akira’s pained screaming and sobbing after one nightmare she had while staying over after the events of the interrogation room. The entire group offered to have her over for a night to help her mental recovery from the incident. Each night, she woke each one with her suffering.

It was awful to see the strongest person in they knew so weak.

It didn’t suit her.

Pain didn’t suit her.

She even flinched away from _their_ touch at the time.

Makoto nearly cried herself.

She hoped that Akira would be okay back in her home town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really think that everyone was annoyed at Makoto before she became part of the team. I know I was. I can't imagine Akira was too amused by her either. I bet there were rumors going around as to why the council president was investigating the transfer student. I imagine it made the main character's situation way worse.
> 
> I've already got the next chapter ready. I'm not sure how many days I should let pass before posting it. I'd like each chapter to get some traction before I do, but I also want to get to the moving back already.
> 
> Let me know what y'all think!


	5. Gals Bein' Pals

When Ann arrived at Leblanc, it was midday and Akira was sprawled out on her bed, sleeping soundly.

So she woke the girl by diving for her.

Needless to say, Akira awoke with quite a start.

“Where’s the fire?! What the- Ann?!”

The blonde giggled. “I am the fire! C’mon, let’s go shopping!”

Akira attempted to glare at her but it came off as a groggy squint instead. Sighing in defeat, she got out of bed. “Fine. Let me just freshen up.”

“Okay!” Ann gathered her things and moved downstairs.

The brunette sighed again when she was out of earshot.

Hoo boy, it was going to be a long day of modelling to her model friend for sure.

And model she did. Much to Ann’s enjoyment.

In her third outfit, Akira was dressed in a red off-shoulder blouse, a black leather skirt with its own belt, and a pair of black ankle-strap stiletto heels. When she came out of the dressing room, she gave a twirl, her high ponytail swirling around her body.

Ann’s jaw dropped. “Wow!” she clapped. “You look so sexy, Akira! Want me to buy that outfit for you?”

“I do feel pretty sexy,” Akira turned around to eye herself in the changing room mirror. “But you don’t have to buy it for me, Ann.”

“It’s fine! Totally a worthy purchase! But just this one, though! Anything else, you have to buy yourself,” she winked at her.

“Then let me buy you an outfit too,” Akira winked back at her. “It’ll be our thing,” she offered, smiling at her friend.

Ann grinned back. “Oh that sounds perfect! And,” she started pushing Akira back into the fitting room, “I know just which one I want you to buy for me! It’s in a different shop though, so hurry and change!”

The brunette chuckled fondly as she locked the door and started changing. “Alright, sheesh.”

It was evening by the time they got back to the café.

“What on earth?!” Sojiro exclaimed when he saw the duo of gal pals. “Did you two buy out an entire store?!”

Akira set down her purchases in an unoccupied booth. “The entirety of Harajuku more like,” she deadpanned.

Ann pouted. “We didn’t buy a whole lot! We didn’t even need to call Ryuji to help carry our bags!”

The brunette held back a laugh.

Sojiro, meanwhile, was appalled and concerned at how Akira could possibly take home all of the things she had just bought. He shook his head and turned to go to the kitchen. “You two must be tired, how about some curry?”

The blonde snapped a finger gun at him, grinning. “That’s exactly why we’re here!”

“Aside from me living here, of course.” Akira added.

“That too!”

Ann might be an airhead, Akira mused as they sat down, but she was _her _airheaded friend. And she loved her all the same.

Ann huffed as she unpacked the rest of her knew clothes, spreading them out on her bed to mix and match.

She slumped on the floor when she felt an ache in her back, leaning her head on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

Recently, thinking about Akira made her cry.

It was like when Shiho went away.

She was losing another friend.

“Wait, no. That’s not right,” she said to herself, wiping her tears away.

She didn’t lose anyone. Despite the distance, she could still talk to them with ease. _And_, she could always see them on a holiday.

That’s right.

Ann stood up, determined.

She’d just have to work twice as hard on her modelling.

For both Shiho and Akira.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter is good. I personally think it lacks some depth to it. It really is just gals being pals. 
> 
> I've got one or two more chapters until Akira heads back to her hometown as I'm thinking of combining Haru's and Morgana's.
> 
> Thank you for the support!


	6. Appreciated by the Floof

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay and lack of length on this one. I went over to my friend's house for like a week and forgot to bring the notebook I write in for this fic.

Morgana watched as Haru tended to the plants in her personal greenhouse. He was perched atop the balcony rails, his tail dancing back and forth.

The heiress wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead with the back of her gloved hand, patting off soil from her apron as she stood.

“Mona-chan?” she called to the cat who craned his neck towards her. “Would you like to eat?”

His eyes seemed to sparkle. “Can we have sushi? I’ve been craving fatty tuna!”

Haru giggled, scooping the cat into her arms. “That would be nice! Let’s order some and take it to Leblanc. We can eat with everyone!”

It was evening when every one of the thieves, including Sojiro and Sae, gathered at Leblanc. The bean father made sure to close up shop early upon the heiress’s request. It wasn’t a big party, still everyone had their own plate of curry and cup of coffee (cocoa in Ryuji’s case). They also shared to baskets of sushi boisterously.

“C’mon, Ann! That was my eel!” Ryuji groaned as he tried to snatch the piece from the twintailed blonde.

She shoved it in her mouth. “First come, first served, Ryuji!”

“Guys, please calm down, there’s more sushi in the other bask- Futaba, use your chopsticks!” Makoto all but screamed.

Meanwhile, Yusuke was eating with contemplative expression.

Akira chuckled from her seat at the bar, watching the scene unfold.

Haru, on the other hand, was watching the thief leader.

If she was being honest part of her was jealous of how freely Akira lived her life. She walked to the beat of her drum, unshackled by the expectations others placed on her and decided how to go about her life on her own.

“What’s on your mind, Haru? You look troubled.”

Her friend was also very perceptive.

The fluffy-haired girl smiled. “I was just thinking about how free you are.”

Akira tilted her head. “Free? I guess that’s one way to put it,” she smiled back for a moment before turning to take a sip from her coffee. “I wasn’t always like this, though.”

“You weren’t?”

That was unexpected for her to hear. Anything else didn’t seem to fit Akira’s personality at all.

“Nope. I was a typical prim and proper honor student who could do no wrong.” The brunette laughed bitterly. “That was until Shido and my transfer here. Those first few weeks were awful. If not for Ryuji, and later Ann, I would have had more than just the one breakdown I had.”

Haru looked horrified. “Oh no, I didn’t know! I’m so sorry to hear that…” She held Akira’s free hand, giving it a squeeze. “If it’s any consolation, I like this side of you more than anyone ever liked the prim and proper you.”

Akira looked between her friend and her hand with a shocked expression on her face before turning away to blink away her tears. “That’s a first.”

“Huh?”

“That would be the first time that anyone said that to me, thank you,” she smiled at Haru again, her eyes glistening.

Haru giggled, hugging her younger friend. “You’re perfect the way you are.”

“Hey, what’s goin’ on? I want in!” Rxuji interrupted, earning him a smack upside the head from Ann. “What was that for?!”

“Let them have their moment!”

“But I want a moment, too!”

“You already had yours!”

Makoto, giving up, pinched the bridge of her nose, Yusuke seemed annoyed at the commotion, Futaba snapped several pictures of the moment, and Sae and Sojiro laughed, talking about kids being kids.

Morgana, meanwhile, looked at his initial protégé with pride.

The gods were finally on her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, Akira is home.
> 
> Morgana doesn't get his own chapter because he gets to have his own moment several times in the future.
> 
> That being said, let me know what you think!


	7. House, Not a Home

The second they finished their goodbyes and their friends left, Akira was filled with a sense of dread. Once she walked back inside, she would be alone with her parents. They would have to talk. She didn’t want to talk to them. Not after they refused to believe in her.

Akira heaved a sigh, slumping down on the doorstep and placing her head in her hands. Her heart was pounding far more than it ever did when her blood-boiled over Shido. Although she was more nervous now than angry, she still felt bitter.

She realized that she had been so busy the past year she wasn’t even able to sort out her own problems.

“Are you okay?” Morgana asked, forehead knotted in concern.

The human transferred the weight of her head to one hand, freeing the other to poke the cat in the cheek. “’M fine. Just prolonging the inevitable.”

“That’s not like you at all,” Morgana commented, swatting away her finger with his paw.

“Yes, well, right now I’d rather take on Yaldabaoth again rather than face my parents,” Akira deadpanned.

“Exactly,” Morgana sat on his hind paws. “You faced Yaldabaoth and took him in stride. Your parents are nothing compared to some false god.”

Akira huffed. “You might be right.”

With that, she stood and turned to enter her house.

“Your friends seem nice,” her mother, Ayane, was the first to speak upon the girl’s entry.

Her father, Ren, scoffed. “They seem quite unruly, though. I hope they haven’t been a bad influence.”

Akira raised an eyebrow. Her heart and mind were pounding. She wanted to get out.

_Get. Out._

“If you’re so worried about the people I spend my time with, then you’d best send me off on the next train to Tokyo,” she snapped, not really thinking. Akira’s eyes grew wide at the realization of her actions, both her parents stunned into silence. Not a moment too soon, she was hurrying up the stairs and to her bedroom, locking the door behind her.

Ayane clicked her tongue when Akira was out of earshot. “’Rebuild our relationship with our daughter’ my ass.”

“Hey, I’m not the one who’s not a fan of the cat,” Ren snarked.

His wife rolled her eyes. “Thank god the divorce is going through soon. I can’t stand living with your insufferable shit anymore.”

He sighed. “Don’t bring our marriage into this. I was just concerned for her.”

“Oh? And I’m not?”

“That’s not what I said at all?”

Their argument escalated to a point where Akira could hear them behind the closed door of her room. She was lying down, face planted on to her bed.

“Yeesh, It sounds bad down there,” Morgana shook his head, frowning as he stared at the door.

Akira turned to face the ceiling. “The yelling? Used to happen all the time. I’m more surprised they’re not separated yet.”

“That’s-“

“Awful? Yeah, you should see them on a really bad day,” Akira laughed at a joke Morgana didn’t get. “Lots of throwing and cursing.”

“Th-throwing things?!”

She nodded. “A vase and some expensive Chinaware come to mind right away.”

“What the hell?!”

“They weren’t always like that,” Akira shrugged, holding up a pillow before letting it fall to her face and tossing it aside. “My childhood was pretty good, better than some others,” her thoughts went to someone they used to know. “It’s no surprise, I guess, that they turned out that way. Their marriage was arranged and they never got to meet each other before the wedding,” she turned to her side to face Morgana. He was watching her mournfully. “It was particularly bad by the time I got arrested. They thought I was rebelling because they weren’t getting along.”

“Oh… That’s-“

“Yeah…”

There was silence between the two of them.

“Anyway,” She face the ceiling again, “Mom’s moving out next month after the divorce, so It’ll be pretty quiet around here.”

There was more silence. As silent as it could be with the aggressive yelling going on outside her room.

Akira sighed as she got up, putting on her glasses and picking up her bag.

“Where are we going? Morgana asked, hopping into the bag as she lifted it up before tying her hair in a high ponytail.

“Out.”

She walked past the living room where her parents were arguing, announcing an “I’m going for a walk with my cat!” as she left, not bothering to wait for a response.

Once outside, she breathed a sigh of relief, Morgana popping out over her shoulder.

“Hey, can you show me around? I wanna see all your favourite places!”

Akira held her chin in between her thumb and pointer finger, thinking. “There aren’t that many, but I’ll see what I can do.”

Morgana was amazed at how different the countryside was to the city. For one, it wasn’t filled to the brim with people. No, there was barely anyone around and a lot of them seemed to recognize his human companion. They didn’t speak to her though, merely nodding in her direction. He wondered if she had any friends, though he doubted it. Akira never mentioned anyone of note back in Tokyo. If there ever were, they must not be in contact anymore.

He looked at her as she bought some food from some store. The old lady at the counter seemed so nice and yet there was tension in the air. Did these people really think that Akira was a criminal? He ought to scratch their eyes out.

When they left the store, Akira sighed. “Seems even Haruko-san believes that I’m a good-for-nothing. Seems everyone here does.”

“Hey! I’m your ally!” Morgana huffed. If he could cross his paws, he would.

Akira smiled, patting him. “You just might be the only one.”

It was evening by the time they were on their way back. There were plenty more people that seemed to recognize Akira along the way. Some were obviously students and they would whisper amongst each other as she passed by.

“Ah, the good old days,” Akira mumbled sarcastically. “Why go back to Tokyo when I get the same initial treatment here!”

“Akira…”

“Can’t wait for class next week. “

With that, she came inside and had an awkwardly silent dinner with her parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is possibly school starting for Akira. Maybe. Or more backstory. Or both.
> 
> Let me know what you think and what you'd prefer to see!


	8. Chapter 8

In the week that followed, Akira had basically redecorated her room. She had moved her bed to the far right side of the room and placed it against the wall. This was to make room for her dresser which she moved against her window so she could look out as she tinkered with her new coffee-making set, three small bags of her favorite beans as gifted by Sojiro lining up with it. She also purchased a small table and some pillows to sit on for when she would study or have a drink – things she formerly did in their living room. On her ceiling, she stuck some glow-in-the-dark stars not unlike those that Yusuke gave her – a gift she was particularly fond of.

When asked where she got the money for her purchases, she simply said that she saved up some money while working multiple jobs back in Tokyo.

Her final touch was a bouquet of oak-leaved geraniums, colourful zinnias, and pink camellias as the centrepiece for her little table.

When she was done, Akira took a step back to admire her handiwork.

“Wow,” the cat looked around, “You’ve really outdone yourself! It feels like Leblanc, but it’s also fresh and new.”

Akira sat down next Morgana who was pawing at the bed. She took a deep breath, also taking in everything that had and would be happening.

She heaved a sigh. “I miss them already.”

The cat nodded, climbing on to her lap. “I do too.”

It was only when lunchtime rolled around that Akira realized she had the house to herself for the day as both her parents were at work.

“You know what this means?” She asked Morgana who looked confusedly at her.

It was time to party.

And so, they went to the grocery store to buy ingredients for Leblanc’s signature curry. She couldn’t find all the same brands as Sojiro used but she substituted just fine.

As she stirred the contents of the pot and Morgana watched from a seat at the dining table, Akira couldn’t help the thought that the scene was very reminiscent of Leblanc. Even as they ate, Morgana chowing down on some meat she cooked up, she felt as though Sojiro or Futaba would walk in at any second.

Alas, they did not.

Morgana scratched behind his ear as he watched Akira do the dishes. Her movements were slower, her expression more sombre. He worried about her and what was on her mind. She’d been busying herself with her room and studying some material in advance, so there hadn't been much room for thinking. He noticed as well that she was happiest during videochats they had with their friends, but also saddest right after. Akira also rarely spoke to her parents, not that there was much chance for that anyway. The three of them barely ate together, and when they did the atmosphere was always strained. Her mother was particularly distant. Apparently, custody of Akira had fallen to her father whom Morgana had noticed to be taking long glances at her every once in a while, almost as if he was gauging something.

The cat shook his head. He hadn’t seen anything so dysfunctional since, well, since April of the previous year.

“Akira,” he called once they were back in her room and she was making coffee.

She craned her neck slightly to him, eyes still focused on the sight outside. “Hm?”

“You’ll be fine,” he told her, tone serious but caring. Morgana had Akira’s full attention then. “You just gotta be you, do things like you always do, and everything will be fine. I promise.”

“Morgana,” she said as he saw her blink back tears, “thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Akira finally goes to school in a hopefully longer chapter.
> 
> I hope the Morgana's realization that their current situation was basically the same as last year went over well. Also, I'd like for chapters to be longer, but I'm struggling getting past certain points.That's why I hope that next chapter I can work in a lot more things.
> 
> Let me know what y'all think!


	9. The Transferee

Akira went to school almost as early as the faculty had to. She simply didn’t want to deal with the stares and side comments she would undoubtedly get from her peers first thing in the morning. Instead, she stood alone in front of the bulletin board posting for the class assignments.

_3-A_.

It was an advanced class for college preparation. She wasn’t surprised she was placed in one, after all she had been an honor student before and top of the class in Shujin.

Students began to file in as she looked over the class assignments. Akira didn’t linger like she usually would have. There were no friends wanting to see her. Instead, she made her way to the faculty office, like transfer students usually would. Her teacher didn’t have much to say to her. He was a man dressed in a dark purple dress shirt, a silver tie, and some slacks. His brown hair was slicked back to reveal a youthful face despite his age, his dark eyes sparkling with joy. He was new, he said, having only joined the institution during spring break. His name was Hayao Mizuki. He offered to walk her to the gym but she assured him that she knew the way. If he had anything to say about her record, he held his tongue quite fine and let her go.

The seats in the gym were divided by year, with the seniors to be seated up front. Akira took her seat in the second row, settling her bag on her lap, unzipping it a tad more than it already was for Morgana to poke his head out. She lay a hand on his head as they sat together in silence.

As the gym filled up, the cat snuck back into hiding. Soon, the place was buzzing with students and with teachers trying to settle them down.

“Hey did you hear?” Akira heard one male student whisper.

“What? What?” Another student, a female, exclaimed excitedly.

“I heard that they let Kurusu back in,” he told her, his hushed voice doing nothing to hide his gossip.

The female gasped. “Didn’t she get expelled though?!”

“Apparently, she was wrongly accused,” the male shrugged. “Still pretty weird to rescind an expulsion if you ask me.”

“Yeah, and didn’t she get sent to juvie anyway? What do you think she did?”

Akira was half-tempted to turn around and tell them she wasn’t scared to go back. Her grip on her bag tightened as Mr. Mizuki approached the gossiping students and asked them to quiet down. A different teacher stood on the stage, welcoming the students and introducing the principal. He was a stout old man who was balding at the top, his suit hugging his body. The principal was among the first people to shun her when she had been accused and also the first to ask for forgiveness, among others from Shujin, when her assault record was cleared. She didn’t know how to feel about the man, but, she thought, so long as he learned his lesson – whatever it was – then he was fine.

Principal Takeshi spoke of standing up for what one believed in, a speech Akira couldn’t help but feel was inspired by recent events. After which, there was a quick rundown of activities for the year and when they would be taking place. Soon, she was making her way back to the faculty office. Apparently, she was supposed to head to class with her class advisor.

Once there, Akira couldn’t believe her eyes.

There stood Goro Akechi, alive and well, sporting an undercut.

Akira’s mouth went dry and she was sure she was gawking. He seemed surprised too, and there definitely was a spark of familiarity in his eyes when he saw her. Mr. Mizuki’s brows furrowed in confusion as he watched the two.

“Do you happen to know eache other, Yagami-kun?” their teacher asked.

_Yagami-kun?!_

‘Yagami-kun’ chuckled Akechily. “Oh no,” he said in such an Akechi tone of voice even her bag moved in protest. “I was simply surprised that there was another transfer student beside myself,” he continued, smiling Akechi’s signature Akechi smile that Akechi used whenever Akechi was in front of the media.

She was almost sure that she was going to pass out, but she willed her consciousness to stay with her, if only for the sake of Morgana who would be crushed under her weight.

Akira cleared her throat. “I’ve never seen him before,” she played along. “I just didn’t think they’d put two transferees in the same class.”

Mr. Mizuki smiled at that. “Well, my class was the only one left with opening for you two bright pupils,” he chuckled. “I do hope you two get along.”

“I hope so too.”

If Goro was being honest, he was already half-expecting Akira Kurusu herself to show up in front of him only because of the constant gossip that circulated even as the principal delivered his speech. However, to be put in the same class as her was truly a twist of fate.

He wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

Not only had the both of them died, they both also came back to life. Although his situation was different than hers, they were still similar. While she was still in juvie, he was running from Shido’s goons, which was a sort of prison in and of itself. He assumed a new identity under the name Kogoro Yagami, moved to the countryside, and falsified his documents. Supposedly, Kogoro is a recently orphaned boy who grew very ill during his last semester of high school which led to him dropping out momentarily. His parents, having died in a car crash soon after, had left him with a hefty sum of money which was what he was using to get by.

It was nothing too elaborate, but it worked.

How well it worked, however, would depend on Kurusu’s cooperation.

It was him who first approached Akira during their lunch break, everyone else was keeping their distance as she’d expected. He asked to speak with her, somewhere quiet, so she took him to the back of the school, buying some bread from the school store and a can of Water of rebirth from the vending machine.

She plopped herself on the grass, waiting for him to speak as he leaned against the wall.

“I have my reasons,” is what he started with, “and I’d like to have your cooperation.”

Akira took a bite out of her melon bread. “And I’m sure I can guess what those reasons are,” She said pointedly. It really wasn't that hard to do so. The SIU was still hard at work dealing with Shido’s lackeys, after all. “I’ll cooperate.”

He sighed in relief. “Thank y-“

“On one condition,” she stood from her spot, leaning against the wall as well.

“What’s that?”

Akira grinned, offering the unopened can, “I get to be your friend.”

Goro looked back and forth between her and the can she was holding out to him, genuinely confused. “Excuse me?”

He watched her take another bite from her bread, swallowing before speaking again. “Let me be your friend, Akechi,” she sounded so genuine. “Not as someone you want to use, or to simply cooperate with,” he followed her gaze as she trailed off. She was looking at the clouds. “We’re just high school kids now, so let me be a real friend to you.

_She must be insane_, he thought. He had wronged her and her friends and so many others on so many occasions, yet she wanted to be his friend?

Goro’s eyes focused back on her, there was no hint of malice in her whatsoever, just genuine intent. He briefly wondered if that was what he had been missing out on. Words he spoke to her just some months ago surfaced to his thoughts.

If only they’d met a few years sooner.

He shook his head, looking back at the clouds. There was no way to change the past.

… And yet…

“Okay,” he finally answered. “Let’s be friends.”

There was at least a way to control his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morgana's gonna flip when he finds out! ... Maybe...
> 
> There was less booing and hissing at Akira than I expected for this chapter. This was also how I originally intended to start this fic, but I wanted some thief content so I made it.
> 
> Is anyone really surprised that Akechi's back? He's right in the tags lmao. Also, yes, I named his alias from the reference of his first name and Light Yagami.
> 
> Tell me what you think!


	10. Becoming Close

“Can I call you ‘Goro’?”

She kept taking him by surprise.

“Pardon?” He set his coffee cup down on the little table.

They were sat together in her room, Kurusu having offered to make them coffee while they studied and him agreeing because he genuinely missed Leblanc’s coffee.

It had been a couple of days since their conversation behind the school, each one having passed by without incident except for the rumors that circulate around her – and now him. According to them, the pair had become close way too quickly for people that have only just met. Some speculated him to be her boyfriend – or, rather, her boy _toy_ as they liked to make up things about her stay in Tokyo. Keeping in character, he’d told them that the reason they were able to be friends right away was due to his lack of a bias in perceiving her character and therefore saw he for who she truly was.

That shut them up.

Now, here he was, the afternoon after the event and she was asking him if it would be okay to call him by his real name. _What?_

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” the cat – Morgana, he had to remind himself – gave her a look. “If Shido’s goons are still after him, wouldn’t using his real name give him away?”

He watched her set her cup down.

“If they’re still looking for him, they would have found him by now, I bet. Either that or they expect him to go under a less conspicuous alias. Besides,” she leaned an elbow on the table to point a finger at him, “with a name like ‘Kogoro’, ‘Goro’ is a completely viable nickname.”

Goro thought about it, looking down at his coffee.

“I’ve never been so casual before,” he spoke up, garnering both their attention, “but I don’t mind. Go ahead, Akira.”

The way she beamed at him made his heart race.

Morgana watched her as she washed the ceramics they’d used. “Was that a good idea?”

Akira hummed. “Maybe, maybe not,” she shrugged. “But, I did read online that using someone’s name could make them feel closer to you.”

“You’re really serious about making friends with him, huh?” he craned his neck in a fashion she could only describe as cat-like.

She nodded. “We both need it.”

Morgana gave her a look that indicated for her to explain. Akira briefly wondered if cats could really be so expressive.

“He’s had a lot of trauma in his life,” she started. “His mother, Shido, even the media… Akech- _Goro_ needs to be anchored back down, to be shown that the world isn’t all bad. He needs someone he can trust and seek companionship in. Of course, his trauma doesn’t mean that everything he’s done up ‘til now can be forgiven, but I’d like to give him a second chance, anyway.” Akira paused to dry her hands. “As for me, well, being friendless in this town would actually make me go insane.”

“You have me, though,” Morgana protested.

She smiled, patting him on the head. “Yeah, but, if I’m seen talking to a cat, even more rumors will fly.”

“Good point.”

When lunch time came the next day, Akira made sure no one else was in the room when she offered Goro a lunch box.

“What’s this?” He asked, looking up at her in confusion.

She gave him a look of disbelief in return. “A lunch box.”

“_Why_ are you giving me a lunch box?” He clarified.

Akira felt a blush creep to her cheeks. She’d made him lunch out of consideration for his health, thinking he might not be getting the proper nutrients in his day-to-day and, after spending some time with him, she was sure of it. However, simply admitting to that was kind of embarrassing.

She did it anyway.

“I figured you weren’t eating well, living alone and all.”

Goro blinked at her. “I-I see, thank you. Where do you want to eat?”

“The roof should be fine, yeah?” she said in a tone that they’ve established meant there was something to talk about.

He nodded, letting her lead the way.

Once there, she breathed in deeply, appreciating the country-side breeze. It was one of the things she missed while she was in Tokyo. The clean air was always so refreshing.

She then turned to him, confused. “Have you never received a lunch box before? Like, from an admirer or whatever?”

He was equally as confused. “How do you mean?”

“You’re telling me, Mr. Detective over here has never received a love confession at school?” the disbelief in her tone was thick. “Preposterous.”

“Ah,” he seemed to understand. “I was actually quite the lone wolf back in Kosei,” he admitted. “No one really approached me for anything. Even my so-called fans kept their distance. I believe it was something about being too intimidating to approach.”

Akira grimaced. “It’s because of all that media coverage, makes you seem out of reach.” She sat down, unwrapping her own lunch box.

He sat down next to her, staring at the object in his hands before turning to her. “Does this mean that this is a love confession? Aren’t we moving a bit too quickly?” his tone was teasing as his eyes twinkled with amusement.

She nearly choked on her food.

“Real funny, Goro,” she deadpanned, drinking some water. “I really was just concerned for your health.”

He smiled, it was soft and warm. “Thank you.”

She decided she liked that look on him.

“You’re welcome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!
> 
> I'm so sorry for the unannounced extended break you guys, I hit writer's block for this chapter and I kept writing and rewriting the same thing over and over it was horrible.
> 
> I'm not back to full form yet, but I will soon. 
> 
> Stay safe, everyone. Covid19's a bitch. Make sure to stay home and wash your hands. Don't go out unless you really have to.
> 
> Next chapter should be soon!


	11. Crushes

Ryuji was startled awake by Ann kicking the underside of his seat just in time for Mr. Ushimaru to turn around after writing things on the blackboard. Blinking back the sleep, he stretched out an arm behind him to give her a thumbs up.

It was only when lunchtime came around that he was able to properly thank her.

They were eating in the school cafeteria, Mishima with them. It was strange to them. At least, initially. After a year of being ostracized by their peers, they finally felt welcome enough to join them in the lunchroom.

Mishima had ended up in a separate class to them, but he’d spent enough time with them the previous year anyway it felt awkward for him to eat with anyone else.

It was lonely, he decided, without Kurusu around. He’d idolized her so much that he was practically a fanboy – or, should he say, _phan_boy. However, in the end, they’d become friends and she was his best. He even grew to like her as a girl and not some hero, but he never confessed as he was positive he would have been rejected. After all, a girl like her? With her skills, her charisma? She wouldn’t settle for someone like him, even if that wasn’t what she would tell him. She was nice like that. Besides, he didn’t want to damage what they had. The dorky friendship between him and her was something he treasured.

Still, he thought as he sat eating with Sakamoto and Takamaki, he felt out of place. There was no doubt that their bond with her was on a different level than his. He was kind of jealous, honestly. Their level of trust and camaraderie was something he’d only read in manga.

Ryuji found himself unable to stay still. With Akira gone, he found he had too much free time on his hands. So, he decided, he would accompany Ann to one of her photoshoots.

As he waited for her to get changed, he made note of all of the staff that would be working with her for the shoot. Majority of them were guys. He stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a wall, as he observed them. There was a high chance that some of them were creeps and he wouldn’t let that happen.

It was then that Ann stepped away from the dressing booth and his jaw nearly fell to the ground.

She was wearing a light blue wrap dress, its ends billowing in the spring breeze. It was off-shoulder with a heart neckline, showing off her features quite nicely. Her hair was down, a red headband keeping it from getting in her face. She also had dangling pearl earrings on but her neck remained bare, exposing her collarbone.

He swallowed thickly as Ann approached him, checking herself out from side-to-side.

“What do you think? Akira bought me this dress before she left, isn’t it pretty?”

It took him a moment to respond.

“Y-yeah, real pretty!” he managed, her giving him an odd look before walking off.

_When the hell did Ann become pretty?!_

Of course, he knew she’d always been pretty what with her foreign features and all. But, when did she become _pretty _pretty. What the hell was up with that?

He quietly seethed as the photographer encouraged her posing, knowing he only meant for her to do her job as, well, a model, but it still irked him how enthusiastic the guy sounded. Especially when she was out looking like _that_.

Realizing the only one who could help him was Akira, he discreetly took a picture of their mutual friend and sent it to her.

_4:56 PM_

**Skull sent a picture**

**Skull: **????????????? wat

**Akira: **dAMN, I forgot how pretty she looks in that dress

**Skull: **h

**Skull: **e

**Skull: **l

**Skull: **p

**Skull: **? ? ? ? ?

**Joker: **OH MY GOD

**Joker: **RYUJI OH MY GOD YES

**Joker: **I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

**Joker: **YOU LIKE ANN OMG IM SO HAPPY

**Skull: **W H A T

_What?!_

He didn’t like Ann!

At least not in that way!

Did he?

Oh god, he did!

He buried his face in his hands, groaning. He’d been so focused on his friendship with Akira he hadn’t even noticed this happening. _Of course_ he liked Ann! She was pretty, strong, nice, a bit airheaded but it was cute for her. She was hard-working, driven by her love for her friends. And he, well, he had always been protective of her, hadn’t he? He’d always been looking out for her, trying to get her to cheer up when she was down even during middle school.

Ryuji wanted to kick himself for taking so long to realize.

God, he was such a dumbass.

There was no way he could tell her, though. Absolutely no way. If she turned him down, that’d probably make things real awkward between them. And, if that happened, it would be awkward for the rest of the thieves too. That just couldn’t happen.

Akira was the only one who could know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *with a megaphone* RYUANN IS A DAMN GOOD SHIP
> 
> Surprise! This fic is also RyuAnn. I've had that decided from the start. If there are any other ships, we'll find out down the line.
> 
> I hope you like the comparison I did with Mishima and Ryuji here!
> 
> If you'd like, you can talk to me or watch me struggle to write on twitter @sinnamon_nerd


	12. Fate Decrees

Yusuke had been staring at his phone for what felt like an eternity simply reading and re-reading the most unusual e-mail he’d ever received. It was from one Kou Ichijo. How this person got his contact details was beyond him, but what was in it certainly piqued his interest.

But first, he wanted to verify whatever was on it wasn’t a scam.

So he approached Futaba.

He’d received the message just as first period started so he waited until it was time for lunch before going to her classroom and stealing her away to the art room, the room in question usually being unoccupied during the hour. There, he showed her the message and told her of his request.

“Whoa!” She exclaimed after quickly scanning through the e-mail. “That’s totes sus!”

Yusuke nodded. “I know. That’s why I’d like you to look into this person before I respond.”

“Can do, Inari! Just let me get my laptop and I’ll get crackin’” Futaba rushed out the room before he could get another word in. She came back as quickly as she’d left, wasting no time to plop down on to the floor to get digging.

As she worked, Yusuke read the e-mail again.

_Dear Kitagawa-kun,_

_I hope we got the right address. Nao-chan assured me that it was, but still. _

_My name is Kou and the reason I – _we _– are writing to you is because we are almost positive that you are our long lost baby brother._

Yusuke’s breath caught in his throat every time he’d read that line. Could it really be true? Could he really have other family members? But all he knew was he was his mother’s only son so how could that be?

His head began to hurt thinking about it but he continued reading

_We understand that you currently reside in Tokyo and would like to meet up with you to hopefully settle the matter. I know that this all too sudden, and definitely suspicious, so I understand if you’re apprehensive about this._

_Still, we would like to take this risk. If you do too, then you can message me through this e-mail address and let me know what date works best for you._

_Hoping to hear from you soon, _

_Kou Ichijo_

It was such a strange e-mail to receive. He was grateful for his thief’s intuition, as the group liked to call their collective mistrustful nature, that he’d honed working with his friends. Had he not, he was sure he would have immediately agreed to go and meet with those strangers. He was also thankful for Futaba’s hacking skills, if not for her, he’d be stumped as to how he would go about the matter. Perhaps he’d have his friends stand guard inconspicuously as he conversed with whoever they were. Perhaps he’d ignore the message completely.

Either way, all he _actually_ knew was that there was something about the message that bothered him.

“It’s legit,” Futaba announced after a few minutes of tapping away. Her tone was low and she seemed in absolute disbelief.

Yusuke sat down beside her, peaking at her computer screen. “What is it?”

“This Kou Ichijo person’s been in correspondence with Naoto Shirogane – _the _Naoto Shirogane. You know, the _original_ detective prince?” She waved her hands around, wild gesturing part of her explanation habit. “Anyway, they were talking about how Madarame’s info was marked confidential by the police because of the Phantom Thieves incidents last year. The Ichijo guy said that he remembered _their_ mom – as in his AND the Detective Prince’s mom – being a student under Madarame and that they had a baby brother left with her when they both got sent to an orphanage. Apparently they’d been trying to find that brother’s contact info since the incident and have only got a solid lead recently – that lead leading to _you_.”

Futaba’s speech all sounded like a garbled mess in his brain. She talked so quickly that he could barely keep track of what she was saying.

“_And-“_

Apparently she wasn’t done yet.

“I looked into their history, right?” She pointed at her screen. “They were both in the same orphanage in some place called Tatsumi Port Island! That’s not all,” Futaba turned to him, stars in her eyes. “The two of them, and one other guy, were all taken there on the _same date_. Their full names before adoption was Kou Kitagawa, Naoto Kitagawa, and the other guy was Minato Kitagawa!” She returned to tapping away on her laptop. “I tried looking into this Minato Kitagawa, but I… well, apparently he died back in 2010 under the name Minato Arisato.”

Yusuke blinked, the names of his apparent siblings replaying in his head like a broken record.

He had a family?

_He had a family!_

Unwillingly, tears fell down from his eyes, streaming down his cheeks. He held his head in his hands as he sobbed quietly, a hand – Futaba’s small hand – stroking his back.

“I think you should go, Yusuke,” she said as he cried. “This will be good for you. Heck, I’ll even tell everyone and we’ll all be there to support you!”

Drying his eyes with his handkerchief, he turned to his friend. “Thank you, Futaba. However, I feel I must do this alone.”

Futaba pursed her lips. “Okay, fine. I won’t tell everyone, but can I come? I want to be there for you.”

Yusuke smiled at her, teardrops still hanging on to his eyelashes. “I would like that very much.”

It was after walking Futaba back home to Leblanc that he decided to message them back, saying that he would like to meet them on the coming weekend.

Not even five minutes after he had replied, he got an answer – a confirmation.

Once he got back to his dorm, he marked the date on his calendar.

_8:00 AM, Leblanc_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS AU
> 
> For those of you who are confused, you can go read my Fate Decrees series - it's about how Minato, Kou, Naoto, and Yusuke are siblings. I've yet to finish it, but with this chapter up, I'll finish it S O O N.
> 
> Prepare for feels if you do decide to read it.
> 
> follow me on twitter @sinnamon_nerd if you wanna talk or just see me spam about things


	13. Club

“Do you not plan to join a club?” Goro asked her one lunchbreak. She merely blinked at him with her brows furrowed as though there was something about what he’d said that she couldn’t comprehend.

They were sat together in their classroom, her having spun the chair in front of him around so they could actually have a conversation. She wasn’t facing him though, rather, she was perpendicular to him, leaning against the wall.

“Goro, in case you haven’t noticed, people aren’t too keen with me,” she said dryly. “Besides, there’s no way they’d take me back.”

It was his turn to blink at her, watching her sip on the straw of her juice carton, a distant expression on her face. “’They’?”

“Gymnastics club,” she replied curtly, which he understood was her means of indirectly saying that she didn’t wish to talk about it.

So he did it for her.

“If I may deduce,” he started, making her glance at him, “could it be that they were among the people who shunned you when the _incident _happened?”

Akira crinkled her nose, making an unfavourable expression. “Yeah,” she said simply. “Kicked me right off the team.”

Goro frowned, picking at his food. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

She shrugged. He felt it was over-exaggerated in its nonchalance. “It’s in the past. Well, kind of, they can’t even bare to look at me. It’s just awkward. I’d probably break their rhythm if I tried to rejoin.”

He hummed. “Why not a different club, then?”

Another nose crinkle, this time apprehensive. “Really?” the look she gave him was absolutely appalled. “How about you join one and I go with you?”

“Huh?”

“I’m like a remora.”

“A-A remora?”

She nodded, chopsticks diving for the sausage in his bento that he’d set aside for later. “I have to stick with you to survive.”

“To survive?” He watched her eat the sausage, more focused on that than what she was saying.

Akira snickered. “Are you just going to echo what I’m saying or are you gonna use that pretty little head of yours to figure it out?”

Goro flushed from embarrassment at that, huffing childishly before putting some thought into what she’d said. “Ah,” he said once he understood.

She leaned back in her seat with a sigh. “I’m glad you’re here. Otherwise, I’d be totally miserable everyday."

His eyes went wide, barely comprehending what she’d just said. She was _glad_? About _him?_ After _everything_? He wanted to cuss her out, scream at her. Did she hear what she was saying?!

“Even if you did kill me that one time.”

He nearly choked on his food, looking around in panic in case anyone heard that before glaring at her.

Another snicker. “Aw come on, that was excellent comedic timing, you know?”

Just what was this woman?

Goro ended up looking through the different roster of clubs, searching for one that both he and she could join. He second guessed his actions while he did it. There was no need for him to go the extra mile like he was doing, and yet he did so anyway. The agreement to be friends with her was something he did on a whim – it was superficial. He knew of her intention behind it too – _she_ needed the friend. There was no way she was doing so in consideration for him.

And yet, she made him lunch everyday, called him by his first name like she’d been saying it her entire life, made him feel wanted like she meant it.

His head hurt thinking about it.

He didn’t have to find a club for them to join, but he wanted to. Maybe take her by surprise when she realized he took her joking comment seriously.

In the end, he decided on photography club.

“I’m sorry, you want us to what?” she looked absolutely bewildered when he shared the news with her the next day.

“Join the photography club,” he said, repeating what he’d announced to her prior.

Akira seemed to stumble over herself, something he relished in. He rarely got to see her at a loss for words – always so calm and composed. Seeing her now, face flushed in embarrassment, was a victory to him.

“I was joking when I-,” she cut herself off, sighing. “Okay, we’ll join the photography club, but if this goes badly, I’m blaming you.”

“Very well,” he nodded, leading her out of the room so they could submit their applications to the respective club.

Once there, all activity seemed to halt at their – mostly _her_ – presence.

“Did you need something, Kurusa-san?” A tall, lanky guy spoke up. He seemed wary, Goro noted, like he was expecting something bad to happen.

He nearly rolled his eyes. Akira couldn’t hurt a fly if she tried.

“We’d like to join,” he said before she could reply, earning him a grateful glance from her.

“Oh! I, uhm, we actually-“

“I already looked up your club, you have so few members you’re barely acknowledged by the school. Having more people will benefit you,” Goro said before the guy, probably the club president, could give some half-baked excuse as to why they couldn’t be accepted.

“Yes, but-“

Akira was having none of it. “Let’s just go, Goro. We’re clearly unwanted here.”

She spun on her heel, stalking out of the room with the deepest scowl he’d ever seen on her face.

They’d been walking for ten minutes. Away from the school and up a hill. He simply trailed behind her as she trudged – more like stomped – up the path, her shoulders tense. Once at the top, she set her bag down on a bench by the table, Morgana poking his head out in concern.

And then, she screamed.

The action had taken him by surprise. He didn’t think she was capable of such unruly emotions.

Then, she began to cry.

“This is so stupid!” She yelled, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t deserve any of this animosity! I wanna go home!”

To say he was in shock would be an understatement.

Akira Kurusu was baring her soul out in front of him like he wasn’t the same person who tried to assassinate her.

She curled up into a ball, hugging her knees. He gave Morgana a look, the cat’s brows only furrowing in sadness at him.

“This is-“ she wiped away at the tears the prickled her eyes. “This is Shujin all over again! The stupid outcasting, the rumors, the apprehension! I haven’t done anything wrong!”

The frustration in her voice made his chest tighten up.

All he could do was offer her his handkerchief.

Akira looked at him in shock, as if she hadn’t expected him to be there. With shaking hands, she took the cloth from his and dabbed at her eyes. She stood, straightening herself out as she did, not meeting his gaze.

“Sorry you had to see that.”

He smiled at her though she probably couldn’t see it. “There’s no need. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Futaba and Akira are remoras confirmed
> 
> Got a bit feelsy at the end. It kind of just happened. Will go into further detail next chapter
> 
> If you want to see my writing struggle tweets come follow me on twitter @sinnamon_nerd and say hi!


	14. Too Much

_Akira was shoved into a room of cement and steel. She’d lost her footing, landing face first on to the concrete floor without the ability to catch herself as her hands had been cuffed behind her back. In her attempt to get up, she rolled to her side, pulling one leg up as leverage for her action. Just as she started to sit up, the sole of a boot kicked her back down, pressing her body to ground. While she was held in that position, a shot was administered to her. There was a prickling sensation on her skin for just a moment but her thoughts turned hazy soon after._

_The next thing she knew, she was sat on a chair and soaking wet. She could feel the swelling of her cheeks and a cut inside her mouth. Her body ached, she was sure she had several broken bones. Even breathing hurt._

_In the next moment a knee made contact with her side, sending her flying off the chair. She was kicked and abused, her hair being pulled up only for her head to be slammed back down. The man who was beating her stomped his boot on her knee, digging its heels into her skin. He stared at her, it was empty and yet, at the same time, full of hatred._

_Her hands had been freed but she felt too weak to move them. _

_Another man grabbed her by the arm – she winced at the pain that swelled from where he touched – and pulled her up to her feet. She stumbled, holding her head in one hand, barely able to stand straight._

_This time a fist hit her straight in the gut. She gasped, coughing up blood. Another hit, this time hard slap across her face before the man took her arm and pinned it behind her back, twisting it._

_She gasped out in pain, collapsing once more once she’d been let go._

_An unbuckling noise and the sound of cloth hitting the floor echoed throughout the room._

_Her eyes grew wide with horror at the realization. _

_Two men took each of her arms and pinned them to the ground and she began to resist, each movement as she tried to scamper away hurting her body more. Her legs were being spread despite her desperate attempt close them. _

_Another punch to the face and she could barely remain conscious. _

_“I’m going to teach exactly what it means to take full responsibility for your actions.”_

“NO!” Akira screamed in horror as she shot up from her sleep.

Morgana looked at her with concern. “I’ve been trying to wake you up for the past fifteen minutes,” he said. “Are you okay? That seemed like a pretty serious nightmare.”

She was shaking, hugging herself as she looked at her companion. Her throat was dry and streams of tears began to fall from her eyes. “That didn’t happen,” she whispered to herself, looking away from Morgana. “That didn’t happen, that didn’t happen, that didn’t happen!”

The cat’s concern grew. This was the first time in a while that she’d had nightmares. And just like then, she was mumbling to herself over and over as if to convince her self of something.

“That didn’t happen,” she sobbed.

She never spoke of what she dreamed when she had nightmares, only crying until she couldn’t cry anymore.

Morgana frowned. He wished there was something he could do for her.

He settled himself on her lap, reaching out his paws to touch her arms in an attempt to comfort her.

She didn’t seem to notice right away, still repeating her murmurs. Her breathing was heavy and she was coughing through the tears.

“It didn’t happen, Akira,” he said, not really knowing _what_ it was that didn’t happen.

Only then did she snap out of her stupor, recognizing Morgana and taking him in her arms. She sobbed into his fur.

“Thank you for being here,” she croaked out, voice hoarse.

He gave her a pat on the cheek. “Always.”

If Goro noticed her tired state, he didn’t say anything when she approached him for lunch. They ate in silence for a few minutes. Akira not really being in the mood to talk.

“Do you not plan to join a club?” he asked after a while.

Her brows furrowed at him, taking a moment to understand that a conversation was happening. They remained furrowed when she’d realized what he’d said. She pointed out the status of her reputation, even talked about her old club. He offered for her to join a different club, something she nearly scoffed at.

“How about you join one and I go with you?” It was a joke, she decided. She knew there wouldn’t be any club that would be accepting of her. However, she thought, Goro might be at the very least. If he was really serious about her joining a club, she would make them a package deal. Surely the experience wouldn’t be so horrible if she had him with her.

He’d left to go to the bathrooms after that, taking much longer than she expected. When he came back, he bore a serious expression, as though he was thinking.

Before she could ask him about it, the bell rang and it was time for class.

Goro broke the news to her the next day.

“Let’s join the photography club,” he’d told her. She was absolutely taken aback. He’d actually taken time out of his day to look over the clubs and pick one for them join.

Saying she was surprised would be an understatement.

When she offered her friendship, she was sure it would a one-sided effort, knowing full well that Goro liked to keep his distance.

Yet here he was, telling her to join the photography club with him.

With a sigh of defeat, she decided to give it a shot.

A shot she wanted to take back.

Akira was absolutely frustrated, angry even. They _knew_. They _knew_ she hadn’t done anything wrong! Her record had been cleared, for fuck’s sake! And yet, they tiptoed around her like she was some goddamned criminal. She hated it. She hated _them_.

When she reached the top of the hill, she screamed.

All she did was save a lady from being raped! And for some god forsaken reason, she received bullshit for that?! She’d been accused, outcasted, feared, hated, _beaten and drugged_ just because she saved some woman out of the good will of her heart! It was stupid! Unfair!

She wanted to go home. Back to Tokyo, to her friends, her _family_.

Curling up into a ball, she cried. She didn’t deserve the hand she’d been dealt. Why was she being punished for being herself?!

A hand made contact with her back, making her flinch and look up at who it was. It was Goro, he’d followed her all the way up the hill and he was offering her a handkerchief with a shaky smile on his lips. It was a sad smile.

She took the piece of cloth and dabbed at her eyes, straightening herself as she stood. She didn’t meet her gaze, embarrassed he’d seen her so weak, embarrassed that she’d exposed herself to him.

“Sorry you had to see that,” she’d said before walking back to her bag, to Morgana.

He bore his concern on his face and was about to speak when she patted him on the head, smiling just as sadly as Goro had been.

“There’s no need,” Goro spoke, he sounded sincere. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

It made her chuckle. She definitely hadn’t expected him to come out and say it, yet here they were.

She decided their friendship was official, that there would be no more pretence behind it. “Yeah, we’re friends.”

Goro walked her home that day, even told her to keep the handkerchief he’d handed her.

She thanked him by giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, like she would her friends back in Tokyo.

The way he was so flustered and sputtered all over himself made her smile her first genuine smile of the day.

Goro was left frozen by her doorway.

What had just happened?

Did she just-?

She did!

“Wh-what?”

He wasn’t that big of a fool. He knew something had changed when he admitted out loud that they were friends. It was though a gap that existed between them had finally closed. She seemed to realize that too. After all, the stunt she’d just pulled – the affection she just showed – was the same thing she did with her friends back in Tokyo.

She was treating him like her friends back in Tokyo.

Goro blinked.

_He_ was on the same level as her other friends.

What did that mean?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a doozy.
> 
> So yeah, our girl has been through waayy too much. The implied rape at the begin will remain unconfirmed for now. Nightmares can be worse than the actual event that happened. Either that, or Akira's in denial. 
> 
> If you want to yell at me for what I did with this chapter, come follow me on twitter @sinnamon_nerd
> 
> I think this one was up to standard, but let me know what you think!


	15. Exposed

It was Golden Week soon, Akira noted as she looked at her phone’s calendar. She was lying in bed, holding her phone up in her right hand, with Morgana next to her. It had been a few days since the incident at the photography club. They’d run into the club president during lunch – he’d squeaked out an apology and went running the direction he came. When she saw that both she and Goro had rolled their eyes at him, she couldn’t help but laugh. It had been a fond laugh, one that Goro asked her about. She simply told him she was glad he was cracking a bit.

He was a little taken aback by that, but he hadn’t been given time to process what she’d said because the bell had rung for the end of their break. When he tried to ask her on their way back to their classroom, she’d only stuck out her tongue at him and skipped ahead.

It was silly, she felt. She wasn’t one to act cute, after all – Akira fancied she had a flair for sass, instead. Still, it felt appropriate. Teasing him had always been fun, even before they had become actual friends.

Akira could recall all of the times she would subtly flirt with the detective prince – batting and looking at him from under her eyelashes, leaning in too close when she served him coffee in Leblanc, touching him for a few seconds longer than needed during a Baton Pass in Sae’s palace. The memory made her giggle.

And it was in her giggling that she’d lost the grip on her phone and had it fall flat on her face.

She sat up, tossing her phone off her and to the side as Morgana chortled beside her. Playfully, she shoved his face aside as she got up.

It was time for some midnight coffee.

When the holiday rolled around, Akira decided she would hang out with Goro.

It was still far too awkward between her and her parents, though her father had tried to approach her a couple of times before. Her mother, on the other hand, was much like Akira in the regard that she refused to spend time in their residence.

Refusing to confront her problems just yet, she dragged Goro’s ass out so they could enjoy the countryside air by going around the town and maybe up the hill. She prepared them each a serving of curry and a thermos of coffee to share as well. After all, lunch on a hill was a relaxing experience. She would know. It was a pastime she used to share with her so-called friends before moving to Tokyo, and one she wanted to come back to with actual ones.

He showed up with a bike, much to her surprise, claiming it had been a hobby of his to bike around Inokashira park once upon a time.

She shrugged, saying that she’d just have to keep up with him by running alongside him.

Never had she been more grateful that she picked to wear leggings and a tanktop on a day out. She wore a jacket as well, the spring chill not yet being replaced by the summer heat.

With a competitive huff, she stuffed their food in Goro’s basket, and broke into a sprint ahead of him.

By the time they reached the top of the hill, she had her hand on her knees, sweat dripping down her face and arms onto the ground as she grasped for air.

“I told you it was a bad idea to try and keep up with me while I’m on my bike,” he sounded absolutely exasperated with her.

“You,” she gasped. “You shut,” another gasp, “You shut up,” Akira straightened herself, her hands on her hips as she shook her head.

Goro harrumphed. “Here,” he handed her his water bottle and towel.

She took them in her hands, stripping off her jacket before wiping down her sweat and practically finishing his drink off. “Oh, that’s better,” Akira breathed as the breeze picked up.

“Honestly, Akira,” he set their things down on the table. “I see your habit of pushing yourself seems to extend even beyond the Metaverse.”

Akira chuckled. “I get told that all the time. Morgana has to constantly tell me to rest,” she laughed at the memories where she would try to force her way out of Leblanc only to have the cat guard the door. “He’d probably threaten me at gun point to relax if he could.”

“Knowing you, I probably would too,” he commented off-handedly as he sat down.

She gave him a look. “You’ve actually had me at gunpoint before,” she deadpanned. “Although, it wasn’t really me.”

Goro winced at that. “Are you ever going to let me live that down, Joker?”

Akira grinned at the nickname. “Keep calling me ‘Joker’ and I might just drop it.”

“I’m not calling you ‘Joker’ in public, Akira.”

She pouted. “Aw… Well, whatever. Let’s just eat!”

Akira’s father was watching TV when he heard the doorbell ring. His daughter had been out for some time, so he wondered if she was back. However, upon opening the door, it was not his daughter who greeted him. It was her friends from Tokyo. They bowed to him, asking where their friend was and telling him that they had been planning to surprise them with their presence. It was a three-day holiday after all, so they could spend some time and see her. He informed them of her status, letting them know that she was out with a friend. They exchanged glances, never having heard of this friend from her during all their video calls.

“Have we been replaced?!” The blue-haired one – Kitagawa, was it? – held his head in his hand, voice a tad overly dramatic.

The brunette girl gave him a look. “I’m sure that’s not the case.” She turned to him, bowing again. “Do you mind telling us where she is? We’d like to see her as soon as possible.”

“Oh, she said they’d be going up the hill,” he told them. “It’s around twenty to thirty minutes away on foot to get to the top from here.”

The foreign girl bowed again as well. “Thank you very much! Let’s go, guys!”

The blonde troublemaker-looking kid, turned to face them. “You heard the ma- Mona! What are you doing over here?”

At their feet, his daughter’s cat meowed. Had she not taken it with her?

The kids exchanged glances, looking at him too, before picking up the cat and bowing to him, leaving to go find his daughter.

He scratched the back of his head as he watched them go.

They seemed like good kids.

Akira and Goro were just finishing up their lunch when Morgana bounded his way on top of the table.

“Hey, Morgana,” she greeted. “Did you have a nice walk around town?”

He licked his paw. “Yes, but more importantly,” he turned to Goro. “You better prepare yourself.”

Goro’s brows furrowed in confusion. “For what?”

Morgana inclined his neck to the direction he came from. “For them.”

Both of them turned to see what exactly the cat was talking about.

Goro was sure his heart stopped for a good few moments.

There stood the Phantom Thieves, their mouths agape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops! They've been exposed! What'll the Phantom Dorks think of Akira's new friend :3
> 
> Come yell at me for the cliffhanger on twitter @sinnamon_nerd


	16. Acceptance

They looked like they were all about to scream out his name when Akira shot up and shushed them all.

It was her that explained everything. She started with his going into hiding from Shido and his lackeys, even telling them the backstory he’d created. Then, she moved on to their first day of school and how she nearly collapsed in shock. She also told them about their little deal, her cooperation for his friendship. In the end, she admitted that she wasn’t sure if it was safe to let them know over the phone about his existence, so she waited until she’d see them again.

As she explained the situation, they all slowly seemed to be on board with it, Sakamoto even snickering at the alias he chose. There was some apprehension however, the same gap that existed between him and Akira up until the other day.

“I’m just glad you cut your hair, man,” the faux blond had what most would describe to be a ‘shit-eating’ grin on his face. “That mullet was not working for you.” He’d settled himself on Akira’s right almost subconsciously. To Goro, it seemed like he was reminding him that it was him that was – and always would be – Akira’s right-hand man.

“And yet,” Isshiki’s daughter spoke up, finger in the air, “he’s had more girls chase after him than you ever had.” She, on the other hand, was to Akira’s left between Takamaki and Madarame’s pupil. Her back was to him as she sat the wrong way round on the bench, her head craning to her left to stick her tongue out at Sakamoto. Goro wondered if they were the one’s she felt closest to.

“Hey!”

The group shared a laugh as he remained observing them. Also to her right was Niijima’s sister who seemed to be watching him from the corner of her eye as the group conversed. Her apprehension specifically almost made him chuckle, only because of their small rivalry. Okumura’s daughter, on the hand, remained standing behind Akira, her hands on her shoulders. Goro noted that, despite her participation in their conversation, her smile didn’t reach her ears likely because of himself.

He did kill her father not even a year ago, after all.

There was one more thing he noticed, something he’d almost forgotten about regarding them. Despite the apprehension that hung in the air, there was a familial warmth that exuded from them. Watching them be so comfortable with each other, so open to each other’s touch, to their jokes, made him jealous. Part of him, he didn’t know which one, wanted to be welcome in their circle, to also be adored like they adore each other.

And then, Akira turned to him with the brightest smile he’d ever seen on her.

Goro felt like he’d been impaled through his chest.

He also wanted to bring forth such happiness from her.

They refused to let him go. Apparently, he was required to sleep over with them at Akira’s place. He wondered how that would even work. Akira’s bedroom was definitely too small to accommodate them all, especially with all her little knickknacks. Perhaps they would bring down her mattress to the living room and stay there, her thought.

Goro was walking behind them as they descended the hill. Akira and Morgana were upfront, chattering away with Isshiki’s daughter, Madarame’s pupil interjecting every now and then. The group in the middle – Okumura’s daughter, Niijima’s sister, and Takamaki – were taking in the scenery, pointing in all sorts of directions. Sakamoto, her best friend and partner-in-crime, had paced himself with him of all people. They were silent for a while. It was only when they neared the foot of the hill that the faux blond began talking.

“Ya know,” he started. His voice was soft, something Goro wasn’t aware the former runner was capable of. “I think about everything you’ve done and I just struggle to forgive you. You’ve hurt a lot of us.” Sakamoto paused, his gaze directed at the sky. “But,” he turned to him, “Akira trust you, so I’m willing to give you a second shot.” Having said that, he clapped a hand down at his back, grinning. “Call me Ryuji, yeah?”

Goro had stumbled a little at the impact. He wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he simply nodded. There was some weight in the atmosphere between the two of them, leaving him thinking of a way to lighten it. In the end, he played with his carefully styled quiff, and indiscernible expression on his face. “Was my hair really that bad?”

Ryuji blinked at him before erupting into chortles of laughter, garnering the entire group’s attention.

He couldn’t see it, too distracted by his exasperation at the former runner’s laughter, but Akira was smiling fondly at them.

Isshiki’s daughter was the next to approach him.

She had been squinting at him the whole time they were in Akira’s living room. The group had unanimously decided that it was unfair that only he got to drink her brew and insisted she make them some. Akira had laughed it off, just happy to be with her friends again.

He had remained standing by the door to the living room, not comfortable being _within_ the group just yet. That was when she sat by the wall next to him.

“Akira’s someone none of can gauge,” she spoke, cacthing his attention. He looked down to her, eyes focused at the top of her head as he listened. “But, I’m pretty sure all of us have an idea about why she decided to make friends with you.” Isshiki’s daughter craned her neck up and their eyes met, their colour just like his own. “I trust Akira’s decisions, so I’m gonna trust you, too. You better not hurt her, or I’ll expose all your secrets.”

Goro was absolutely certain that wasn’t a threat. Still, he wasn’t exactly too sure _what_ secrets she would share.

He didn’t dare to ask.

Things continued that way throughout the day. He would be keeping his distance from them, unsure of how to genuinely integrate himself, and one of Akira’s friends would approach him, let him know of how they feel about his situation. By the end of it, he was addressing each of them by their first names in his head.

Makoto had told him that she’d always been jealous of his natural talents and even went on to say that she though his talents and Joker’s – the codename coming naturally from her – were a good match. She left him with a warning to behave himself.

Yusuke went on and on about the beauty of human nature and their ability to see past all the wrongs of one person and focus on the speck of light that shone from within, no matter how small. Akira was like that, he’d said, able to see the true heart of a person, no matter how clouded they may be. It was a bit theatrical for Goro’s liking, but he couldn’t help but agree.

Ann spoke of Akira’s fragility. She’d mentioned how hard it must be for her to face those who’d initially ostracized and shunned her, how much it must hurt to be with the ones who sent her away to some faraway place with no one to turn to. Her parting were words were her entrusting their leader to him.

The last to approach him was, of course, Haru. She didn’t even meet his eye when she first stepped toward him. He had expected her to speak of her resentment for him and she did. What surprised him was when she said she understood him. She’d said she understood why he’d done what he didn’t, but that didn’t mean she forgave him. Admittedly, she had said, she didn’t think she ever could. However, she wouldn’t deny him the opportunity for change – to be a better person. Haru left asking him to disappoint her.

He was still keeping his distance when they decided to go buy some stuff for their sleepover, it was only when Akira dragged him by the wrist that he’d become a part of their circle, something he thought was both literal and figurative.

Goro, however, refused to acknowledge how much his heart raced when Akira didn’t let go him until she had to gesture something at the group with her hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goro's got a cruuuuush! Goro's got a cruuUuuuUush!
> 
> Also, I wonder if anyone caught the little detail i put in here. It's going to be touched on a little later. Not sure if it'll be during this Golden Week bit or later down the line. We'll see how I feel.
> 
> Send me your thoughts on what the reveal is on twitter @sinnamon_nerd


	17. Pancakes

“You know Akira’s personas?” Futaba had her hand up in the air as she spoke. It was bed time, at least as imposed by Makoto, and the group was trying to sleep. They had taken up space in their leader’s living room, some of them sleeping on the couches, the others sharing the foam mattress that they placed on the floor. Yusuke had been assigned the longest sofa, Futaba and Ryuji staying in respective armchairs with their feet dangling off the arms. On the floor, Goro, Akira, Ann, Haru, and Makoto lay next to each other covered in a single blanket.

“What about them? Akira asked, rolling in Futaba’s direction.

The little gremlin grinned. “Tag yourself, I’m Agathion.”

“Ooh! That sounds fun!” Ryuji piped up. “I’m-”

“Oni,” Yusuke finished for him.

“What? No, I’m not!” the faux blond protested. “I gotta be one of the cooler ones!”

Akira snickered. “No way. You’re definitely Oni.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Haru giggled. “I like to think I’m Kali!”

“Uh, isn’t that that weird red woman with the swords that keeps dancing?” Ann budged a little closer to Akira.

“Kali is actually one of the many personifications of Shiva’s wife,” Akira began to explain. “Once, her rampage of a victory dance got so bad that Shiva had to sacrifice himself to stop her.”

The group shared a collective moment of silence before Ryuji spoke up again. “Uh, next?”

“Makoto is Scathach,” Futaba declared.

The girl in question craned her neck to look at the supposed gremlin in a jar. “How so?”

“Because Scathach is badass.”

“Point taken,” Akira nodded.

“But-” Makoto began to protest.

“I’m not going to explain all of my Personas’ lore, Makoto,” Akira huffed. “Just accept that you’re badass and roll with it.”

“Okay?”

Yusuke hummed. “I wonder which one I am… I’d like to be one of the more aesthetically-pleasing ones, but…”he trailed off, thinking.

“How about Mara?” Futaba offered.

Akira couldn’t see, but she was sure her little sister figure had a shit-eating grin on her face. “No. We don’t talk about that one.”

“Is it because it looks like a d-“

“I will throw this pillow at you, if you finish that sentence, you gremlin.”

“Bring it, punk!”

Beside her, Akira felt Goro stir. “You all seem to be having fun,” he commented. “I’d like to know which one you think I am.”

“You’re a pancake,” The group collectively responded, much to his confusion and her delight. Akira was cackling with laughter as Goro’s brows furrowed.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Ryuji was snickering. “Inside joke, don’t worry about it.”

Goro frowned. “You all have an inside joke about me and I’m supposed to not worry?”

“I’ll tell you all about it later,” Akira assured him, still giggling.

The group quieted down soon after that, others lulling off to sleep almost immediately. It was when only the crickets in the night could be heard that Yusuke spoke up again.

“I still don’t know which of Akira’s personas I relate to the most.”

“Yo, ‘Kira, you up?” Ryuji whispered.

There was no response.

“Akira?”

A groan.

“Dude, why are you up?”

“You kept calling my name, of course I’m up,” the girl in question grumbled. “What’s up?”

He was silent for a moment, thinking. There was so much he wanted to ask her, so much he wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her about Ann, so many things about Ann – things she’d probably already noticed that he hadn’t. However, there was a risk _she _could overhear that, so he’d have to save that for a later time. He also wanted know how she was doing, if there had been anyone who was particularly mean to her, if she was still having nightmares, if Goro was a good friend to her.

“Ryuji? Don’t tell me you woke me up just to fall asleep, I will dye your hair black, I swear to Satanael.”

Oh right, he had to actually ask his question out loud.

“How ya been?”

Akira grew silent. It was good few seconds before she spoke again. “It’s been… hard, I guess. If not for Mona or Goro, I’d probably be a huge wreck. Everyone sees record and doesn’t bother to look at the details, people I had been acquainted with are distant to me, and none of my old friends can even look me in the eye,” she sounded sad, Ryuji noted. He’d gotten better at that recently, reading people. “The other day, well, I had a breakdown – I had a nightmare prior to that – and Goro was there. He… It was comforting. His presence, I mean. He offered me his hanky, I didn’t expect that. Hell, I didn’t expect he’d follow me all the way up the hill, but he did. I think he’s really trying, to be a better person, I mean. If I’m helping him through it, I’m glad.”

That was just like her, he thought. Worrying about others, rather than herself. He, in turn, was worried about her. She hadn’t had breakdowns since April of the previous year when she’d just transferred in, and nightmares hadn’t bothered her since they’d taken down Shido.

“How’re ya feelin’ now?”

“Better, but still pretty crappy,” she admitted. “The atmosphere here is shit with my parents’ divorce going on, though my mom’s officially moving out soon. That just leaves me in awkward silence with my dad. D’you think I could get Sojiro to adopt me?”

Ryuji snorted. “I’m pretty sure we’re all Boss’s kids, but, well, my dad was pretty crap,” he said looking at ceiling, “but, I think, you can fix your situation with yours.”

“You think?”

“Yeah. All ya gotta do is give him a heart-to-heart, like you do with us.”

“I’ll try, it’s much harder to do so when it’s my own problems I’m worried about,” she sighed.

Ryuji pursed his lips. If only he could pat her back from where he was, reassure her that things would turn out fine… He settled for a “You got this!” and bid her goodnight.

There were many things Goro expected, waking up with his face right next to hers was definitely not one of them. He fell off the mattress in an attempt to put some distance between them, a soft thud sounding out in the silence of the early morning.

“Are you alright?” he heard her ask, making his heart go a mile a minute. Was she aware of how close they had been just now?

“I’m,” he groaned, realizing it was likely him falling off that woke her, “alright. Sorry for waking you.”

She chuckled, a sound that was warmer as she’d just woken up, her voice still husky. “It’s okay I’ve been up for a while,” his heart stopped, “I was actually trying to fall back asleep when I heard you fall off.”

Goro sat up, looking at her. She was still lying down, eyes looking up at him and her hair a disheveled mess. He felt hot under the collar of his shirt, looking straight at Akira without her glasses on made the atmosphere feel a lot more vulnerable. Did she even need those glasses? He hoped she did, having to look at her bare-faced would likely stump him a few times.

Her eyelashes were so_ long_.

He watched as her brows furrowed in concern, as she pushed her body off the mattress to reach out and touch him, lifting his jaw from its slackened state. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

His skin burned where she grazed it. He most definitely wasn’t okay.

Was he coming down with a fever?

“Yes, I’m fine,” he lied. “I’m simply not used to sleepovers, seeing everyone was a shock to me.”

He hoped she bought it.

She hummed. “I guess I understand,” Akira sat up properly now, stretching her arms upward. “Want to help me with breakfast?”

Goro blinked. “Are you sure? They might think I’ve poisoned the food,” he deadpanned.

“Hah! Good one,” she shoved him before getting up.

He followed after her into the hallway, where he saw her putting on her shoes. “Where are you going?”

“The bakery. There’s way too many of us, I doubt what we have will be enough to feed everybody,” she mused, jumping up and down as if readying herself. “Want to come with? We can count this as a morning jog if you’re reluctant to call it looking out for everyone,” her tone was teasing.

Goro rolled his eyes. “I suppose I don’t mind going for a jog,” he started putting his shoes on as well.

When they were outside, however, they didn’t jog as promised. Akira had slapped him on the back, yelled “Race you!” and broke off into a sprint ahead of him.

She was cheating again.

“Oh no, you don’t!” He yelled after her, running after her.

Naturally, she had won.

“You cheated!” He pouted at her, making her laugh.

“Nuh-uh,” she panted, “you’re just slow. Goro? More like Goslow!”

That was, he decided, an awful pun.

When they got back, the group was still sound asleep, likely tired from their travel. Akira had asked him to place all the bread they bought in the basket at the centre of the table while she made the rest of their food.

She was making pancakes.

Was that part of their inside joke? Or was it simply a coincidence? He was about to ask, but she spoke up first.

“Are pancakes your favourite food?” She asked, not looking at him as she whisked the mixture in a bowl.

“They are, actually. Why do you ask?” He remembered how his mother used to make the most amazing ones for breakfast at times. She was always smiling during those days.

Akira grinned. “I remembered because you mentioned ‘delicious pancakes’ that one time when we first ran into each other in the TV station.”

“Is that why there’s an inside joke about me and pancakes among you?” He held his chin between his thumb and index finger, thinking back on that day.

“Partly,” she snickered. “It was Morgana who mentioned pancakes back then, you know?”

His brows furrowed, not comprehending.

“We hadn’t even met yet,” she started to explain. “And yet you could hear Morgana? Sounds suspicious to me.”

Oh.

_Oh_.

That was why there was an inside joke about him and pancakes.

His love for the food had given him away completely. They’d known about his betrayal from the very beginning.

Goro’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

“You look like you’re about to cause a mental shutdown in someone,” Akira joked.

He took in a deep breath, trying to relax. He failed. “Yes,” he answered. “I’m tempted to do so to myself, actually.”

How could he have been so careless?!

Akira chuckled. It wasn’t a mocking one like he expected it to be. “Hey now, calm down,” she poured the mixture into the greased frying pan. “In the end, it turned out to be a good mistake, wouldn’t you say?”

He gave her a look she couldn’t see. It only lasted a moment as he realized the meaning behind her words.

Because of his mistakes, she lived, Shido paid for his crimes, Japan was saved, and now he was here having casual banter with her early in the morning.

Goro decided his love for pancakes was a good thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wee! I wonder how long his denial over his crush on Akira will go on for?
> 
> Also, I'm sorry this chapter is a bit delayed. I got hit by slump on how to start it. Originally, it was supposed to be DnD based but that was mostly because I've started playing recently. If you'd like a chapter like that, let me know and I'll try my best!
> 
> Also, pancakes!
> 
> If you want to talk to me or are curious about my "writing process" come follow me on twitter @sinnamon_nerd


	18. Fishing For You

“Wow, there really is nothing to do here,” Ann said, disenchanted with her image of country life. They were discussing what they could do for the rest of their day. She’d initially suggested karaoke, something Akira immediately shot down. Apparently, there were no such places in town. Ann rolled to her back on the mattress she currently shared with Futaba and Ryuji, staring dejectedly at the ceiling.

Akira was looking at ceiling too, cradled in an armchair, thinking. “Well, there’s a river we can go fishing in, though we have to walk a bit to get there.”

“Alright, then. We’re going fishing,” Ryuji, who was next to Ann’s laying form, sat up. “Come to think of it, I haven’t gone since that time we ran into Kawakami.”

Ann rolled to her side, facing the faux blond. “You ran into Kawakami while fishing?”

“Yeah,” Ryuji nodded. “At the Ichigaya fish pond. She was crazy good at it, like some kind of master fisher.”

Akira snickered at the term her best friend had used. “So, fishing, then?”

“Ugh,” Futaba groaned. “I’m not an old man, though.”

“I’ll bring Uno cards for those of you who won’t fish, then,” Akira offered.

A glint of mischief sparked in Ann’s eyes. “Alright! It’s time to ruin some friendships!”

In the end, Futaba, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto (and Morgana) decided they would play Uno, while the rest would be fishing. Ryuji had volunteered to carry the fishing equipment, walking behind Akira and Goro who were leading the way.

They chattered away with observations of the town as they went, talking about how deep in nature it felt, how relaxing the atmosphere was. Haru noted that their leader seemed like a personification of the place – serene and beautiful. Akira tried not blush at that, she had an image to maintain as a suave phantom thief after all. Still, her heart fluttered at her words and even more so when the rest of the crew all voiced their agreement. Beside her, Goro hummed thoughtfully.

Upon their arrival at the riverbank, the Uno group plopped themselves down on the grass, unboxing the cards, Ann shuffling them masterfully. On the other hand, the fishing group took up different spots to fish. Akira, refusing to leave him alone, positioned herself next to Goro who had taken to being the most distant to the group. There was a large gap between them and the Ryuji-Haru pair, far enough for a quiet conversation without interjection.

For the most part, they shared a comfortable silence. Noise from the Uno group reduced to grumbled and groans as it was still the early game. Somehow, Morgana was in the lead, only a couple of cards left in his paws. On the other hand, Yusuke was looking at his cards with a frown. That was until he dropped all but one on the pile.

Four +4s.

“Uno,” Yusuke was practically grinning.

Everyone looked at him in collective shock, taking a moment before they decided to take action.

Makoto dropped another +2.

So did Ann, Morgana, and Futaba.

“There’s no way you have an answer to that!” Ann challenged, gritting her teeth.

Yusuke blinked at her, dropping his card.

A +2.

Makoto looked ready to choke him.

“HOW THE HELL DID INARI WIN ON HIS FIRST TIME PLAYING?!”

The fishing team collectively shushed the steaming gremlin, Ann laughing maniacally as she handed Makoto her 26 new cards one by one.

The game had just begun.

Ryuji was looking over at Haru, his brows furrowed in concern.

“You okay, Haru?” he asked her, casting his line again.

The question took a second to register in her. When it did, she nodded. “I’m fine, Ryuji. Why do you ask?”

The former runner scratched the back of his head, transferring the fishing rod to one hand. “It’s just, you know, he killed your dad.”

“Oh!” Haru smiled at him, appreciative of his concern. “Yes, I’m fine. I don’t think I can ever forgive him, and I don’t think Akira has either, but we’re all giving him a second chance.” She looked into the distance, thoughtful expression on her face. “He’s suffered a lot, too. And, he made some bad decisions because of that, but he’s still just a teenager like us. We can’t rob him of his chance to improve himself.”

Ryuji followed her gaze, nodding. “Yeah, guess you’re right.”

On the other hand, Goro and Akira fished together quietly, a comfortable silence between them. Neither of the spoke, the only noise that occurred between them was the reeling in of their lines and the occasional splashing noise. It wasn’t until Akira was grinning proudly at her gigantic catch that he spoke.

“It’s true, you know?” He said, glancing at her before focusing back on reeling in his catch.

Akira turned to him, confusion evident in the way that her brows furrowed. “Hm?”

“What,” he struggled with his catch, “Haru said.” It escaped with the bait he’d used. “About you and this town, I mean,” Goro groaned, respooling his line.

She thought about it for a moment. Him agreeing with Haru’s sentiments was definitely a step up from when he referred to her as attic trash. Akira grinned, getting all up in his personal space, her nose practically brushing his cheek.

“You think I’m beautiful, Goro?”

Akira thought his neck might snap off at the speed he craned it away. He didn’t move from his spot, however, simply standing there with a limp grip on his fishing rod, his jaw slackened, and his eyes wide.

Goro sputtered over himself for a moment, making her chuckle as she drew herself back.

“That was quite cruel, Akira,” he pouted.

Her chuckles turned into laughter. “My bad, my bad. You make it so easy to pick on you, Goro.”

Goro rolled his eyes. “I’m simply not used to such forwardness.”

“’Forwardness’?” Akira quoted him, snickering. “Would you rather I go slow?” she said, eyebrows wiggling.

A resounding slap echoed in the area as he palmed his forehead, making her guffaw.

From a distance, Ann was watching the duo out of the corner of her eye. _She’s got him hook, line and sinker, huh?_ the blonde thought, absent-mindedly putting down two 7s, one red, one blue.

“UNO!” Futaba declared, seeing Ann forget to call it out.

“CRAP!”

This time, Makoto gave her the two additional cards with the iciest smile she’d ever seen on her friend.

Ann grumnbled, blaming her shipping senses for distracting her. Oh well, she’d just have to tease Akira, maybe even Goro, about it later to make up for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this update took a fortnight, yikes. To be honest, writing so many characters in one location is what's hard for me. Oops.
> 
> Also, hehehehehehe Flirty Akira.  
Goro, after AKira asking if he thinks she's beautiful: *to himself* Yes, you are. WAIT WHAT AM I SAYING
> 
> Come yell at me on twiter to update more often @sinnamon_nerd


	19. Reversed Fool

He couldn’t stand it.

Having them approach him, telling him it was okay for him to stick around Akira because she trusted him was one thing, but acting like he’d done nothing wrong and forcing him to take part in their activities was another thing.

Hell, maybe they were the exact same thing and he was only realizing so now because the longer he spent with them, the more irked he got.

Goro had been mostly quiet the whole time, speaking only when spoken to or only expressing his thoughts to Akira. It gave him a chance to observe them. Of course, that was also something he did back then when he was still the traitor in their midst, but that had been mostly to figure out the best ways to deceive them. Now, he observed their mannerisms, their levels of comfort with each other, their _friendship_.

It made his head hurt trying to comprehend how they thought he could be a part of their circle.

He was, after all, a horrible person.

Even if Akira thought he was trying to improve, to be better (he’d heard her conversation with Ryuji the previous night), that didn’t mean he was.

If he was going to be honest with himself, he hadn’t expected to grow so… so attached – Was that the right word? – so attached to her. When he’d accepted her deal of friendship, he’d mostly been thinking of his own well-being – Having her shut up about his real identity would help him in the long run – and, he wasn’t sure what he’d expected from _her_, but it certainly wasn’t whatever the hell she’d gotten him into.

Comforting her, sleeping over, hanging out… What the _fuck_ was he doing?

He’d become too carefree around her.

How did she do that, anyway?

How on _earth_ was she able to take away the troubles of the people around her and give them a safe space?

Haru was right to compare her to the countryside where one could relax and let loose.

Ah, his head was beginning to hurt again.

Letting loose was something he couldn’t do. He had to keep up his façade of an amicable young man, at least that was what he told himself if he wanted to keep his friendship with her – _them_.

But _why_?

Why did he want to keep them as friends?

Was it because they offered him kindness when he’d expected them to shun and spit at him?

God, he wanted to snap at them for being so stupid.

And, without meaning to he did.

“Why are you acting like everything’s fine?!”

They had been on their way back from the fishing trip. It was the late afternoon, almost evening, with the sun setting on the horizon. There were barely any people left on the street, most having gone home to prepare for dinner.

He’d stopped in his tracks, hands clenched into fists at his side, unable to filter his thoughts any longer. His outburst made them stop too, all of them turning to him, surprised expression on their faces.

“I’m not- I’m not the charming, princely persona I present myself as. I’m a bastard with no regard for others! Why are you trying to make friends with me?!”

He was shaking, he knew. That wasn’t all that he’d wanted to say, he was holding himself back.

Almost immediately, Akira stood before him, a look of disdain on her face.

That was more like-

_Slap!_

“That’s for being a piece of shit traitor.”

He winced at her words. So, that was how-

And then she hugged him.

“_What_.”

“This is for comforting me the other day.”

It was a tight embrace, warm and soft. He felt safe.

Goro felt himself relaxing before pushing her away.

_What the hell was that?!_

Akira shifted her weight, scratching the back of her head. “How do I put this,” she held her chin between her thumb and index finger. “We know you’re an asshole, if that’s what you’re so worried about. You’ve done things that are bad, some too horrible to mention, some even to members of the group.” She pursed her lips thinking more. “However, you’re not as bad as you think you are. You _comforted_ me, Goro. That’s something you didn’t have to do. You could have left me _alone_.”

“Yeah, dude,” Ryuji slung an arm over his best friend’s shoulders, grinning at him. “Hell, I knew you were a piece of shit the moment I saw you,” Akira looked like she was going to shut his statement down with a snark, but didn’t. “Turned out I was right, huh? So, uh, how do I say it…?” He got off her, moving to cling to him instead. “You don’t gotta worry about bein’ an asshole around us, we _know_.”

_What?_

Ann nodded. “I don’t know what’s been going on between you and Akira, but, if it’s like she says, you definitely deserve a second chance.”

“You trust her judgment too much.”

Akira snorted, the group laughed.

“Yes,” Yusuke looked proud for some reason, “we do.”

Haru giggled. “As long as you’re on our side, we’re happy to have you.”

“He’s totally a tsundere,” Futaba mumbled under her breath. “I bet he hasn’t even realized it yet.”

Goro’s brows furrowed. “Realized what?”

“That, uh,” her gaze shifted around before she stomped her feet assertively, “that you totally like us, duh!”

“Huh?”

Morgana snorted as well.

_Did he get that from Akira, or did Akira get that from him?_

“He totally does, he’s just in denial about it.”

“I’m not in denial about anything!” Goro pushed Ryuji, scowling.

Ann looked like she was about to challenge him to something, smirking at him with a knowing glint in her eyes. He decided they spent too much time around Akira, they were all beginning to act like her.

She opened her mouth to speak before closing it again as if she’d realized something, choosing instead to hum teasingly. “Goro likes us confirmed!”

“I didn’t say that!”

Akira pouted at him. “Then, you don’t like us?”

He felt his heart drop. “That’s not what I-“ He grumbled, catching himself. They would be going around in circles at this rate. “Fine. I tolerate you.”

Ryuji patted his back. “Good enough for me!”

_Seriously_, what on earth was this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have P5R yet (rip) but i did see some screenshots and that's what this chapters based off of lmao.
> 
> twt: @sinnamon_nerd


	20. Affliction

The group departed early the next day, Akira making sure to squeeze all of them as tightly as she could with her embrace. Haru hugged back with just as much force, Ann and Futaba looked like they were about to cry, Makoto was smiling sadly, Yusuke gave her a wrapped up canvas, and Ryuji ruffled her hair. Morgana, on the other hand, received plenty of headpats

Goro watched, unsure if he expected anything for himself. He had his arms crossed across his torso, eyes trained on them as they each got in the van. Ryuji was the last to get in, looking back out at Akira before shifting his gaze to meet his own.

“Ya better have loosened up when we see you next, man!”

Goro’s arms dropped to his side as Ryuji finally went in, shutting the door.

Windows were rolled down and some more goodbyes were said, Akira chasing after them as they began to drive off. Soon, she was in the middle of the road, waving at the retreating vehicle until she couldn’t see it anymore.

His eyes locked on her figure, her back to him. She remained standing there for what seemed like moments too long, her hair, long and wild in its waves, swaying with the breeze under the grey country sky. He stepped towards her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

“Shall we?”

Akira tilted her head to meet his gaze, smiling at him through her teary eyes.

“Yes, let’s.”

Akira decided that it was too awkward for them to part ways so early in the morning. She had gone and showered first, announcing that he was free to use the bathroom as soon as she exited and made a beeline for her room. Once she was done getting dresses, she let him know that she would be waiting for him outside.

Goro shut the door behind him as he left her house, leaving his things inside for the time being. He could always get them later when they were done hanging out.

“Akira?” he called upon seeing that the girl in question wasn’t where she said she would be.

“Over here,” came her voice. Goro craned his neck to the source, finding her standing on a tree branch, leaning against its trunk. Not only that, but the way she was dressed – black chunky-heeled ankle boots, black leather pants (Those had to be uncomfortable, he thought.), grey turtleneck, and black hooded cardigan – reminded him of her Phantom Thief attire. With his attention on her, Akira jumped off the branch, landing heel-first with the softest of thuds.

“Hi,” she grinned at him.

Goro massaged his temples. “Did you call me out here just so you could do that?”

She cackled. “Yup!”

How could the leader of the Phantom Thieves be such a massive dork?

He shook away the thought. It actually made perfect sense that she was so chaotic.

“Also,” Goro pointed at her trousers, “what on earth are you wearing?”

“Fashion,” she replied matter-of-factly.

He gave her a look.

She gave it right back. “Look, I never said anything about your Cody Martin-looking sweater vest, so you don't get to say anything about my kickass pants. Beside,” Akira threw her hair over her shoulder, winking at him, “I look good.”

Goro felt something rise up in his chest.

He ignored it.

“I did not look like Cody,” he made a face.

She laughed. “You sure as heck did and you know it.”

He rolled his eyes, walking ahead. “Let’s go.”

Akira was still laughing when she caught up with him.

Eventually, her joyous teasing about his outfit choices stopped to make way for giving him a different form of discomfort.

“Hey, Goro,” she called, smirking at him and maybe getting a little too close. “That’s the second time you didn’t deny my being attractive.”

Goro was used to many things, that smirk – her Joker smirk – included. It was full of flair and maybe a tad too arrogant. What he wasn’t used to was his heart acting up the way it had been recently. He would have to look up his symptoms later.

In the meantime, he had to deal with his current situation.

“How about myself, Akira, hm?” Goro stepped in front of her, invading her personal space just as she had his. “Am I attractive?”

Akira blinked at him and, for a second, he thought he had won. Then she smiled, cheeks tinted the faintest red as she nodded. “Yeah, you’re pretty cute, I guess.”

Suddenly, he knew what his affliction was.

In all fairness, she should have known that he incessant flirting would come back to bite her in the ass one day. At least, that was what she thought as Goro stood in front of her, wide-eyed and blushing, looking adorable as all hell.

Akira felt she knew what it was like to want to invoke a mental shutdown on herself.

She put a finger to her temple, thinking. There had to be a way to bring this back somehow or else the poor guy would probably remain frozen forever.

Akira decided to poke his side with her finger. “Has Goro.exe stopped functioning?” she asked, adding a teasing layer to her question.

Goro, brought back into reality, cough into his hand. “You win this round, Akira,” he said, settling himself next to her so they could start walking again. “I’ll find a way to unnerve you eventually.”

She played with a lock of her hair, twirling it as her smirk returned. “I’d like to see you try.”

She wanted to kick herself for challenging him, knowing full well he wasn’t one to back down, but she couldn’t help it. It was in her nature to be reckless. However, dealing with her crush on her murderer was a whole other matter.

Trailing behind them, Morgana thought he was watching some cheesy teen drama unfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, now time for the relentless pining.
> 
> BIt on the short side today, my bad. I wanted to add another part to it, but it didn't seem like it fit the tone? idk. It'll be in the next chapter though
> 
> twt: @sinnamon_nerd


	21. Standing Up For You

Akira had just finished hanging Yusuke’s gift – a painting of Arsenè engulfed in the blue flames of summoning – when her father knocked on her bedroom door. He remained standing by the doorway, unsure if he was welcome in daughter’s personal space after all he’d done to hurt her.

“That’s quite the painting,” he commented. The canvas was small enough that it didn’t take up much space on her wall, but it seemed to clash with the calming aesthetic anyway.

His daughter shrugged. “Thanks. Yusuke’s an amazing artist.”

They were awkwardly silent for a moment, his daughter standing in the middle of the room, shifting her weight around and looking down as played with a lock of her hair. Ren Kurusu cleared his throat, making her look at him.

“So,” he started, “you and that Yagami kid seem pretty close.”

She looked confused for a moment. “Yagam- Oh, you mean Goro? Yeah, I guess.”

Her cat perked up then, craning its neck towards him. There was a knowing glint in its eyes and it seemed to smirk at him.

Cats couldn’t do that, right?

“Are you two, you know…” he trailed off, feeling awkward for having to ask his daughter such a thing. However, he wanted a way to make things up to her. If the key to that was getting to know her personal relations, then he’d have to take that step.

“Huh?” He saw the realization of what his question meant dawn on her. His daughter turned so red he thought she might explode. “What the hell, dad?! No!”

_Did the cat just snicker?_

He raised his hands defensively. “Look, I don’t mind if you’re going to go on dates, but I’d at least like to be properly introduced to him so I can give him a talking to.”

Her embarrassment turned into a completely flabbergasted expression followed by a flash of irritation. He saw her crane her neck forward slightly, as if she was about to tell him off, but she stopped midway. “We’re not dating,” she told him after what he assumed was a myriad of emotions.

Ren nodded. “Okay, but I’d still like to formally meet him. He seems quite fond of you.”

She gave him a look.

“I didn’t expect him to get invited to your sleepover,” he explained. “I thought that would be a thing between you and your Tokyo friends alone.”

Akira shrugged, he thought it seemed a bit exaggerated. “Well, they wanted to get to know who I was hanging out with. Especially since no one else wants to.”

Ren frowned. He blamed himself for that. Maybe if he hadn’t been so cold to his daughter after the incident, she’d still have all her friends.

In truth, he was glad she had that Yagami kid to hang out with. She would likely be so miserable if she didn’t. Not only did she refuse to talk to him, but she only had that cat as her companion. Though, at times, it weirded him out how it seemed like she was having actual conversations with it.

“Just let me talk to him, okay?” he asked, tempted to step into her personal space. He wanted so badly to give her a pat on the head, for things to go back to how they used to be.

He wanted to be a dad again.

Goro was sat in his assigned seat in the classroom, holding an envelope in his hands. He looked at it dully. Naturally, he’d already read its contents – it was a letter of a girl confessing her attraction to him. Unexpected considering who he hung out with, but not something he was unused to.

He’d have to track her down to reject her later.

Akira came into the room then, looking just a tiny bit tired. She yawned into her hand as she sat down, hanging her bag on the hook at the side of her desk.

He got up from his seat, setting down the envelope on his table. That was a matter for later.

“Good morning, Akira,” he greeted her, settling himself on the desk in front of hers. “You look tired, is everything okay?”

She crinkled her nose. “I was up all night stressing over my father.”

Now, that was curious. He wondered what happened. “Oh? What’s wrong?”

He watched her lean back in her seat, stretching her arms forward so they were right in his face. They seemed so small and dainty, callouses from holding her blade and gun barely there. He had to stop himself from holding them.

When she was done stretching, she propped up one elbow on her table, leaning her head on the pal of her hand. “He’s suddenly trying to be a good dad,” she said, free hand drawing lines on the tabletop.

“How so?” he found himself asking.

Akira gave him a look that he couldn’t quite identify before looking away. “He wants to talk to you.”

To say that he was taken aback would be an understatement. “Me? Why?”

Another look, this time doubtful. “I’m not sure how this works, but usually when a father wants to speak with a boy his daughter hangs out with, it’s to-“

He raised a hand to stop her from talking, feeling a blush coming on. “I see, I understand.”

She cocked an eyebrow at him, raising her head for a moment before leaning on the back of her hand, smirking at him. “You’re not going to say that he has the wrong idea?”

Ah, that was the game she was playing.

He mirrored her actions, leaning on the back of his own hand and getting perhaps a little too close. “Do _you _think he does?”

Goro wasn’t sure if challenging her was a good idea. She often surprised him with how she reacted to them, but he wasn’t about to back down.

Akira straightened herself, chuckling. “I did try telling him we’re not like that,” she admitted with a shrug before smirking at him again. “But it seems you have other ideas.”

Oh, dear.

He extracted himself from that situation soon after, finding the hammering in his chest to be getting unbearable.

_Besides_, it was almost time for class and the kid who sat in front of her had been giving them odd looks.

Goro found the girl who’d sent him the letter during their break. He’d told Akira that he simply needed to use the restroom for a moment and that he’s meet her at their usual spot soon. The girl, when he found her, was by the school store, buying some bread for lunch. When he called her name, she turned to him with blush dusting her cheeks and whom he assume were friends giggling behind her.

Upon turning her down, her face contorted to one of disdain. “So the rumours are true, then? You’re dating Kurusu, after all.”

He raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when he was cut off.

“I don’t see why you bother with her. You’re totally out of her league,” she said. “She’s a criminal you know, arrested for assault. Even went to juvie.”

Something within him snapped.

“You don’t even know the circumstances behind her arrest,” He managed as calmly as he could. “Why don’t you actually do some research on the matter before believing baseless rumours?” Ah, he was slowly losing his cool. “She fought for the justice she believed in and what have you done, hm?” _Deep breaths, Goro_. “Akira has given me an undeserved second chance at life, and I’m not about to let you trample on that, you b-“

“Goro!”

He snapped out of his angered haze, turning to the source. There stood Akira, looking the most surprised he’d ever seen her.

She approached him, placing a hand on his lower back, drawing circles with her thumb. Almost instantly he felt calmer. Calm enough to recognize horrified expressions of everyone around them, especially hers.

He saw Akira nod her head at the girl. “If you’ll excuse us, Yamamoto-san.”

Akira led him by the wrist to the roof, locking the door behind them.

“Are you okay, Goro?” she asked him, concerned as ever for his well-being.

He took a moment to even out his breathing. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for stepping in when you did.”

She chuckled. “I’m the one who should be thanking you, Goro. I didn’t expect you to defend me like that.”

His brows furrowed in confusion. “How come? After everything, it’s the least I could do.”

Akira smiled at him for a moment before leaning her back on the fence that bordered the rooftop. “You looked a little scary back there, though. I won’t be surprised if rumours about you being a two-faced snake start because of that little incident.”

He scoffed. “I hardly care”

That response seemed to shock her. “And here I thought you were particular about your public image.”

Goro felt a little sick thinking back on how he used to be. “That was true for a time,” he admitted. “However, lately I find myself uncaring of how people see me as.”

“Why’s that?” came her inevitable question to such a confession.

He smiled at her for a moment before looking into the distance. “Perhaps it’s due to your influence. After all, the time I spend with you is most invigorating.”

She laughed at that, the sound as light as the wind. “We should eat, break will be over soon.”

“Yes,” he found himself smiling. “Let’s.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise next chapter less than 24 hours later woo!
> 
> So, I spoiled myself on Goro's new confidant and??? I can't believe ShuAke is canon in everything but a label. Atlus you cowards!
> 
> Also, I've been thinking of maybe writing a prequel to this. It'd be like a retelling of P5 but completely non-linear, meaning a chapter could take place further down the line and the next take places months prior. Would you guys like to see that?
> 
> twt: @sinnamon_nerd


	22. Shopping and Shovels

They were on a not-date at the supermarket, Akira intending to re-stock the fridge back at the house. She hadn’t meant to drag Goro along with her, but he volunteered saying that he, too, needed to fill up his refrigerator. And so, that was how they ended up walking down aisles upon aisles of the local supermarket whilst sharing a single shopping cart.

“How _are_ you covering your living expenses?” she asked, picking several batches of plain yoghurt off the dairy section shelf.

He leaned forward on the cart, watching her. “Well, I was able to withdraw all of the allowance SHido provided me with before they could freeze the account. That, and the money I made from my television appearances.”

Akira hummed thoughtfully. “Still, that’s a pretty finite source. Are you going to be alright?

Goro nodded. “I should be okay for a while longer as I still have quite the generous amount to take care of myself.”

They continued shopping together in peace, alternating who would push the cart around when the other went off to grab some of their necessities. At times, one would ask the other on their opinion on a product with the latter either agreeing with their choice or recommending something cheaper but almost as effective as the presented item. It was mostly Akira making those recommendations as Goro, she noted, tended to reach for the more expensive products.

She thought that perhaps he was compensating for his poor life experiences by splurging his money.

If he continued, however, she worried he’d run out of money sooner than he intended.

“Do you want to get a part-time job?” Akira asked him, watching as he set down some laundry detergent in the cart.

He gave her an odd look but straightening himself to consider it. “Where would we find one?”

She almost chuckled at his use of the pronoun. That he would automatically consider her to join him made her want to smile. “We’ll have to look around for one. Let’s hope that they’d be willing to accept criminal attic trash like myself, though. Otherwise, you’d end up working alone.”

He gave a “Hah!” at her joke. “It seems a criminal label will follow you wherever you go.”

Akira hummed. “Who would’ve thought, right? Though,” she stopped to retrieve some chocolate. “I feel like I’ve been getting less glares from shops I used to be a regular in recently.”

Goro began pushing the cart again. “Maybe they’ve seen that you couldn’t possibly have done anything wrong.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I wish.”

“Well,” he and Akira switched, him going off to claim a box of cereals, “you never know.”

She shrugged and that was the end of that conversation. The lined up to pay, separating the contents of the cart between who was paying for what. It was then that Akira saw her father, back from work early, come in the store.

“Oh god, this is going to be awkward,” she declared, her father approaching them.

“Akira,” he greeted her, eyeing the shopping cart. “When you messaged me that you would go grocery shopping, I figured I’d come along to help. Looks like you don’t need it, though.”

She averted her gaze. “Yeah, I got pretty much everything.”

He nodded at her, turning to Goro. “Thank you for accompanying her, Yagami-kun.”

Goro plastered on a television-rated smile. “No need to thank me, I needed to get my own shopping done, anyway.”

“I see you’ve decided to share a cart,” her father noted.

Akira was having none of it. “I don’t think this is the place for this kind of conversation,” she said as the woman in front of them finished paying. “Oh, look! Our turn. Talk to you later, dad.”

Hurriedly, she pushed the cart forward, practically dragging Goro along with her and leaving her father to go out of the store.

“That _was _awkward,” he commented as she began paying for what she purchased.

She groaned. “He’s waiting outside the store for us, I’ll bet Mona’s next plate of sushi on it.”

“You did mention he wanted to talk to me,” Goro began placing his items on the counter. “But there’s something about that gaze of his.”

“It’s the Dad Gaze,” Akira grumbled, waiting ahead for him to finish paying. “Sojiro gives it to Yusuke all the time.”

Goro blinked at her, taking out his wallet and handing the cashier the required amount. “He does?”

She nodded. “I don’t even know why. It doesn’t seem like he likes Futaba that way.”

He looked like he was thinking about it. “They’d make quite the odd pair.”

Akira crinkled her nose. “That’s what you picked to dwell on? Not the fact that my father thinks you like me?” There was an added teasing tone to her remark, one that didn’t go unnoticed.

Goro chuckled. “Well,” they began walking out of the store, his statement cut short by the sight of her father standing there with his hands in his pockets. “Ah, Kurusu-san.”

“Would you like to have dinner at home, Yagami-kun?” he offered.

Akira cursed internally. She did not want to be part of the situation. No siree. Her father had the wrong idea and this was weird. When did he start caring anyway? He certainly didn’t one year ago when he sent her off to Tokyo alone.

She hoped Goro would decline the offer.

“That would be delightful!”

_I’m going to actually choke you, you snake._

“It’s settled then,” her father began walking ahead, craning his head towards them. “Hop on,” he jobbed a thumb in the direction of their family car.

The ride was hell for her, she thought. She remained silent as her father made small talk with Goro, asking him about where he used to the study (the latter lying rather smoothly), what his hometown was like. He frowned when Goro told him his made-up tragic backstory.

“It sucks to hear that, Yagami-kun,” he said. “But you’re welcome in our home. I’m sure Akira has done more than enough to ensure you’d feel as much.”

Was her father teasing her? Oh, she bet he was.

Goro chuckled. “She’s very kind. Akira has made herself dear to me in the short amount of time that I’ve gotten to know her.”

_What_.

In the rear-view mirror, she saw her father give him a look with a raised eyebrow. “Is that right?”

Every part of her was screaming for her to jump out of the car. Either that, or to eat Goro’s shoe to shut him up.

“Yes,” he continued, paying no mind to her internal turmoil. “School would be a lot less enjoyable without her around.”

“Goro, I’m actually going to-“

Her father smiled. “Well, I’m glad she’s made such a good friend in you. Lord knows all of her old friends had abandoned her.”

Now, she was just confused.

“Ah, I’ve heard about that,” Goro nodded. “Although, were you not quite cruel to her yourself, Kurusu-san.”

She gave him an incredulous look. What was he _doing?_

Akira saw her father’s grip on the steering wheel tighten. Things were awkwardly silent between the three of them for a moment before he decided to speak again.

“You’re right,” her father nodded, turning the corner. “All I was worried about at the time was the family’s reputation, I didn’t at all think about how my daughter felt. That’s why I,” he looked at her through the mirror, “I’m trying to make up for it. Do you think she’ll ever forgive me, Yagami-kun?”

Goro looked at Akira who was set there in disbelief before smiling at her father. “Just keep trying, Kurusu-san. You’ll get there eventually.”

Akira remained looking out the window for the rest of the trip.

She dragged him up to her bedroom almost immediately after arriving.

“What the hell was that?” Akira hissed at him.

Goro raised his hands defensively. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” She gave him a look. “I really didn’t! I was merely trying to get a peek at your father’s intentions.”

Akira sighed. “That was some twisted way to do that, asking him like that in while his daughter was there.”

He hummed. “In the end, I think she appreciated it, don’t you think?”

“You’re an ass, you know that?” She said, rolling her eyes and shoving him playfully. “I’ll make some coffee before dinner, we can study while we wait.”

Goro settled himself by her little table. “One house blend, please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm beginning to think these short chapters aren't cutting it anymore. I feel like they're lacking. What do you guys think? Do you want them longer or is this okay with you?
> 
> Also, while exiting the supermarket, Goro was going to say "Well, he isn't wrong" in regard to him liking Akira.
> 
> Also, I have no idea how dads work, is this an accurate representation of how they're like? 
> 
> Come yell at me on twt @sinnamon_nerd where I spout all the thoughts i have in my brain, like chapter ideas.


	23. Stares

Goro was staring, he knew.

Akira had taken off her glasses to eat her bowl of ramen so as to not get them all fogged up from the steam. He hadn’t meant to stare, but the memory of her that morning of the first night of the sleepover was still vivid in his mind. Without her glasses, the sharpness of her gaze was revealed to the world. He could now see the eyes that so easily peered into his soul. He remembered being so entranced by them that morning that his jaw slackened.

Or maybe it was just his panic from realizing that he’d slept next to the crush he’d been in denial about for some time. That part he didn’t remember quite well because he’d blanked the second her touch made contact with his skin.

He did, however, recall the length of her eyelashes. They dusted her cheeks every time she blinked, fluttering when she burned her tongue on the food.

It was then that she noticed his transfixed state, turning to him with some noodles still hanging from her lips, cheeks puffed out.

Fuck, did he think she was cute?

“Mmm?” She tired speaking, turning away from him for a moment to slurp and swallow her mouthful of ramen, holding up a finger as a sign to give her a moment.

God, he _did _think so.

“Something on my face?” she asked, facing him again

He shook his head no. “I was just thinking if you even actually need your glasses.” It was kind of the truth. His mind had wondered in that direction the first time he’d seen her without them.

“Ah,” Akira set her chopsticks down and picked up her glasses, twirling them at the handle for a moment before handing them to him.

Goro tried them on. They were fake.

She smiled at him. “Ooh, those suit you!”

He found himself scoffing to hide his embarrassment at her casual complimenting of his appearance. “I highly doubt that.”

“No, no, they do! You can keep them if you want, I’ll just get another pair. We can be the glasses duo!” The way she grinned so stupidly wide at him almost made him consider it.

Goro rolled his eyes, but kept them on. He would do so for the length of their discussion at least. “Why do you have them if you don’t need them?”

Akira shrugged. “I got them after it was ruled that I to transfer to Tokyo, thinking it would help me blend into the background more.” She laughed bitterly. “Didn’t help much after my record got leaked, but I kept them on for aesthetics until it became a habit to wear them.”

He hummed thoughtfully. “I see. They do soften your image, somewhat. Your eyes are rather sharp.”

She snickered. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Well,” Goro took off the glasses, handing them back to her, “if you’d waited a little longer, I would have given you an actual compliment.”

Akira’s lips formed an ‘o’ before she leaned on the back of her hand smirking at him. “Do tell.”

“Unfortunately,” he drank from his glass of water, “you only get one. Since, you took what I previously said as a compliment, what I was going to say will forever remain my secret.”

She pouted. “I take it back then!”

Goro leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms as he eyed her sternly. “No backsies.”

“I will sharpen this chopstick and stab you with it,” she threatened, pointing the instrument at him with playful glare.

He raised an eyebrow. “I thought I was the mass murderer here?”

Akira was still pointing her chopstick at him as she shrugged ever so casually. “I’ve threatened a fair share of people.”

“Is that right?”

She pulled her hand back to lean on it, chopstick now lowered and pointing at herself. “I _am_ a criminal, after all.”

He lift his left leg to cross it with his right, also leaning forward. “And you’re sure it wasn’t just Shadows that you’ve threatened?”

A chuckle.

“I’ve dealt with many different kinds of people during my stay in the big city, you know?”

“So you have,” he gestured to her. “You’re still not getting it out of me, though.”

Akira went back to pouting. “Even if I ask nicely this time?”

“You just threatened to kill me,” Goro deadpanned.

“I only threatened to stab you!” she said defensively.

He gave her a look.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

“I’m still not saying it.”

Akira huffed theatrically, looking away from him all snooty-like. “Fine, keep your secrets! I’ll get them out of you eventually.”

They went back to eating their now-soggy ramen. It was only when they were about to leave that she put her accessory back on. Goro watched her place them on her face, astounded by the difference the glasses made. Akira with them on was soft and gentle, he thought. Without them, she was cool and intimidating.

“You know,” he spoke up after leaving the shop, “I think you should drop the glasses.”

She gave a laugh. “And assert my dominance through my gaze alone?”

He knew her statement was said in jest, but… “Actually, yes.”

Akira’s eyes widened for a moment before considering his suggestion, twirling a lock of her hair at his statement. “I’ll think about it.”

He walked with her up until they had to separate ways, bidding farewell to each other as their little rendezvous came to an end.

Akira was staring, she knew.

Goro had raked a hand through his hair, pushing his fringe back with the motion as they ate lunch together. She hadn’t meant to stare, but recently she had been thinking about his former hairstyle. It suited his princely exterior more, she thought, especially since he was still keeping up the pleasant boy façade. His shorter haircut, undercut and all, gave him a more roguish appearance that contrasted with his exterior persona.

Not that he didn’t look good in it. She thought he looked quite nice, actually. However, something about it just didn’t seem to click.

There was also the fact that she would like to run her hands through his hair, but that was a conversation for another day.

It was then that he caught her, spoonful of curry partway to his mouth. He set the utensil down, leaning forward to smirk at her.

“Have my dashing good looks finally caught your attention?” his tone of voice was light with a teasing undertone.

God, she thought he sounded good.

Akira gave a laugh. “That’s old news, Goro,” she took a casual sip of her water, watching his expression change to one of surprise for a fraction of a second before turning blank.

He was getting better at doing that around her, she noticed.

“No,” she continued, “I was thinking about your hair.”

Goro raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What about it?”

She hummed, eyes shifting around the classroom for a moment, taking note of their surroundings. There were other students enjoying their lunch in the room, she’d have to be subtle.

“I think you’d look great with it slightly longer, brushing your shoulders slightly.” He looked at her in complete disbelief. “Probably even better with it tied into a cute little ponytail.”

She watched his lips twitch upward slightly as he closed his eyes. “Akira,” he spoke after a moment, smirking at her again, “are you hitting on me by any chance?”

A chuckle escaped her lips. “Only if you want me to,” she leaned on the back of her hand, looking at him from under her lashes.

It was his turn to laugh, it was deep and soft, barely audible in the bustle of their classroom at lunchtime. “You’re gonna have to do better than that, I’m afraid.”

Akira pouted, leaning back in her seat. “Damn,” she snapped her finger, “I thought I had you.”

He snorted, resuming his meal.

“For real, though,” she said after he had the chance to swallow the last of his food. “You’d look good in a ponytail.”

Goro pulled at his fringe, looking at it as he did. “I’ll think about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goro: *too embarrassed to actually compliment Akira*  
Akira: *compliments out the wazoo*
> 
> I'm so sorry this update took so long. I had to take care of uni applications. Hopefully everything blows over soon so we can all go back to living our lives. Y'all better stay safe, though.
> 
> Come yell at me on twt to update sooner @sinnamon_nerd  
Also, if you've got ANY shuake content feel free to share them with me. I need fuel!

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think! :D
> 
> come talk to me on twitter if you'd like: @sinnamon_nerd


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